It has always been the case and it will always be the case. When we get closest to the goal and the objective, the doubts will surface the strongest. People are built that way and the skepticism always becomes an unnecessary barrier to the final progress.
RUNNING OUT THE FRUSTRATION AND UNHAPPINESS
Last night, I was still at my computer past midnight when Chong Lu appeared and we had a brief chat. She exclaimed surprise at my presence at that unearthly hour. My response was that it has become a routine for me. Networkers who want to catch me for a chat or two can usually do so after midnight.
Imagine waking up this morning at 7-00 am reluctantly and dragging myself to the closet to get ready for my morning run on the treadmill. As I walked out the door, I told myself that 20 minutes today should be enough. No one was at the gym so I did my usual warm-ups and started at a walking pace. The day at work before had been really frustrating and I just had to run out my bad vibes. When you are unhappy, go for a run. It is the best antidote and it will force out all the unhappy feelings.
GOING BEYOND THE PAIN BARRIER
I ran past the first 10 minutes and I had this great feeling of just being thankful for the privilege of being able to run like this. I thanked God for his blessing on me on health and I started to count my many blessings. My second daughter who had news that she was pregnant two weeks ago was admitted last night to hospital after she had vomited out blood. I just thanked God for keeping her still in reasonable health and I prayed for her unborn baby – that the baby will be unaffected by the problem.
As the minutes went ticking by, I saw 30 minutes come and go. I knew this morning I had to try something more. For the past few years, I have not gone past an hour of continuous running at speed. I decided there that I will do 70 minutes this morning and I will complete it however tired I got. It would be about 9 kilometres of running by my simple estimate. What a feeling it was when I made the decision. I knew something had happened deep inside of me when I decided on the magical 70 minutes. It is like many of you taking the decision to go big at the Leaders’ Challenge – something had happened deep inside of you and you have to make your involvement a success.
When I hit past 50 minutes, the pain started to come. This was where I usually stopped and now it was a new exciting phase for me. Every part of me told my body to give up. Time and again, I was tempted to just slow down and stop. The 58 minutes came up and I knew I was hitting past 1 hour. A rush of adrenalin came to my body and suddenly I felt rejuvenated again. Then the 60 minute mark was passed. 62 minutes, 63 minutes, 64 minutes, 65 minutes all came and went. I suddenly felt my hamstrings tighten and then the doubts came again and again. How true it is when the goals come nearest that all the doubts will surface strongest. To beat the pain barrier, I had to first crush all these doubts and that was what I did. I steeled up my body for more pain and I just pressed on.
WHAT HAPPINESS WHEN THE GOAL IS REACHED
At 68 minutes, I knew I had the victory in sight. I knew then for sure that I would make 70 minutes. The feeling of adulation and the will to overcome made it all worthwhile. As I stepped down from the treadmill after the warm down exercises, I knew then that the victories in our lives are won only if we can stay through the times of doubts and uncertainties. The final lap in any journey is usually the key. How many people have given up when they should have walked the few more steps to the ‘big’ moments in their lives? How sad when this happens again and again to people who should otherwise have succeeded.
THE TROUBLE WITH PEOPLE WHO ARE THE SMARTER ONES
The problem is we think we have all the answers. In MLM as in sports and exercise, our answers are probably the wrong ones most of the time. If we had the right answers, we would not be playing all the wrong strokes. The smarter ones decide on the basis of external stimuli – what they see and what they hear. It is a bit like climbing Mount Kinabalu. In 53 climbs that I have made over the years, I have seen the smart ones give up because they could not see the way ahead. They wanted always to know what lies at the next turn. Talk to them about faith and belief and they cannot visualize it. Essentially these are the smart but insecure characters. Stay far away from them.
The presence of faith is something that has to do with the unseen. If it can be seen and felt and heard, it is no longer an exercise of faith. When you climb Mt Kinabalu, you just have to keep going on and that is how the objectives are reached. I wish every one of you can climb that great mountain with me and get a glimpse of what it is like to succeed when the path is no longer clear. Discipline is everything in success endeavors and the determination to keep going on when the odds are heavy separates the successes from the failures.
A DOG RETURNS TO ITS VOMIT
We cannot be nostalgic and wish for the good old days. Life doesn’t function like this. It is all about moving on to the new things and the new platforms. There will always be risks in new things and new ventures. There will always need to be new investment with new directions. You cannot avoid this. We should stop wishing for the good old days to come again because it won’t be happening. Let go of foolish thinking if you want to see real progress. I have no desire to go back to my old days – none at all. I am looking forward to the coming days and to see what good things will happen for me. Let us stop thinking of going back to the good old days and now get ready for new goals, new targets, new objectives, new aims. As for my health, I am prepared to plant new seeds for my new levels of health and fitness. What about you in New Life?
RISING TO THE VICTORIES THAT SHOULD AWAIT US
I am eagerly anticipating the victories that should await us. When I walked out of the Gym room this morning, there was a spring in my step. I know that I am on my way to the new beginnings in my health and fitness. I am eagerly waiting for the Mt Kinabalu climb to come along. I know when it comes that I will be fully ready for it. Will you be also ready for the New Life success that will come into your life. Will you be fully ready for it???
Ong Hock Siew
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