Forget the Excuses! What is Your Dream?

Achievement

Here I am without a thought as to what I should write, but nevertheless, I’m clicking the computer keys. Someone said to me a few days ago, “I have two books within me, but I just can’t seem to sit down and get them on paper.” They asked how I had managed to write a book. I said I had scheduled one hour per day in which I determined to write without distraction. The would-be-writer said, “That’s what I was afraid of. It’s a matter of discipline, and that’s what I lack.” I suppose it’s that discipline that has me clicking away when I have nothing in particular to say. I feel compelled to keep to my schedule.

The reasons, or sometimes excuses, that I most often hear people use for lack of achievement are:

1.      I don’t have time.

2.      It requires too much discipline.

I’m not sure who said this, but I once read, “When I lost all of my excuses, I found my results.” If I want to achieve, I must recognize my excuses for what they are and move toward the goal in spite of them.

A week or two after I started to write my first book, I went to my husband, Jack, and said, “I must be crazy. I only know two things about writing a book. It will cost a lot of money and take a huge amount of time. I’m sixty-three years old, and if I’m lucky it will take me two years before I can get a book written and published. By that time, I’ll be SIXTY-FIVE years old!”

My sweet husband looked me right in the eyes and said, “That’s true. How old will you be in two years if you don’t write the book?” He continued, “In two years you will be sixty-five as a published author, or you will just be sixty-five. The question is, on that birthday, will you regret it if you don’t write the book?” So…I returned to my computer and continued writing.

When I went to Jack in exasperation, Satan had been feeding my doubts and fears. Jack was there to encourage me. He provided perspective when I lost mine. If not for his support, I would not have gotten past the first two weeks of writing.  If you hope to achieve anything of real significance, you will need support. 

I am now sixty-five, and I have two published works to my name. God provided the topic and the resources. Jack provided the encouragement, and I didn’t allow myself the excuse of lack of time or discipline.

Don’t let your dream pass you by, and don’t let those who have given up on their dream talk you out of yours. Pray about it. See what God would have you to do. Then, in obedience, work out a plan that will help you move forward. Don’t accept excuses. Seek support; you’ll need it. But remember, the joy of achieving a worthy goal can be yours... just keep “clicking those keys".