The Courage to Begin!

February 24, 2010 by Milton Kamwendo
Filed under: Unleashing Greatness 

To get the edge and strike for greatness the best time to have begun would have been twenty years ago. The next best time to begin is today. Everyday presents us with opportunities to improve ourselves and to move to the next level. Small and daily improvements compound to give us the desired edge.

Taking the first step is a major milestone in breaking the inertia that holds us back. Inertia is the tendency to remain where we are. Some of us have been grounded at the same spot for so long that taking new action and pursuing goals with focus feels uncomfortable. For us to achieve greatness we need the courage to see our lives for what they are and to challenge the limitations that we have. Although many of us love the thrill of greatness regrettably few of us love the challenge of doing what it takes to get there.

Recently I heard of how they train elephants in a zoo. When the elephant is young they tie its leg to a stack using some iron chain. The elephant will rant, kick, rave and try to get away but the iron chain will not give in easily. Over time the elephant becomes tame and ceases to try to get away. When the elephant is now tame its keepers simply tie it with a small rope to a small stump. Although the elephant can easily get away it no longer even dares to try.

The same can be said for human beings. The challenges of life may have conditioned us to accept mediocrity as our lot in life. Getting the edge demands the courage to confront our situations and refuse to live below our potential. When we start taking action there are many prophets of doom that will always advise us that it is impossible and it has been tried unsuccessfully before. They will also reiterate horror and vampire stories of failure and defeat. We are the ones who choose to either accept or reject other people’s negative opinions and conditioning. We can choose to have the courage to pursue our own dreams of greatness. The worst thing we can do with our lives is to let fear run our lives and prevent us from taking the steps to greatness. Without action there will never be any edge to talk about in anything.

To your greatness

Milton Kamwendo

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