By THE 5 ENEMIES OF CHANGE
The key to success is commitment plus action. The first enemy of change is EXCUSES that bombard your mind and tell you—“You can’t!” You can have great ideas of what you want to do, but if excuses keep you from acting, nothing much will change. There are innumerable excuses why you can’t do something and only one really great reason why you can. You can do one important thing to change today because God said you can. Philippians 4:13 says, I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.”
DISCOURAGEMENT tries to creep in as you seek to change. An effective, successful person needs to understand that resistance to doing the right thing is normal and to be expected. You can be intentional in your family, your work, or your church even if the people around you or your circumstances don’t change. Become a different person yourself, and as you grow, everything around you will appear to change too.
The enemy, ANXIETY, is always produced by looking backward or forward. One of my professors in grad school put it this way, “The further we move either back in time or ahead in time from this very moment, the more anxious and out of control we feel.” The past is over, and only God knows what is going to happen tomorrow—and you have no control over that either. So, you must live for today, intentionally doing the one small thing that will take you another step closer to your goal.
Unexpected events in your life produce the enemy of DISRUPTIONS. Whether it’s illness, an accident or a child’s bad decision—disruptions are going to happen in your life. You have more power than you think. Focus on the things you can control—your thoughts, attitudes and behaviors. When you are faced with the enemy of disruptions, hold yourself accountable by simply picking yourself up again and getting back on track to pursue that next right ONE THING.
WAITING is the last enemy of change that I want to mention. Waiting drives me crazy! Trying to rush into success is like trying to rush into love—you may think you are there before you really are. Hard work is the price you must pay for success. If you’re willing to pay the price, the hard work will pay off. It just often takes time.
Henry Bergson, a Nineteenth century French philosopher said, “To exist is to change, to change is to mature, to mature is to go on creating oneself endlessly.” Refuse to allow the enemies of change to steal your dream. Instead, you can press through and win by doing the next right ONE THING.
Intentional ONE THING Challenge
If you could do ONE THING and know that it would make a significant, lasting, possibly life-changing difference in your life, would you do it? Dr. Carlson shares the power of ONE THING and why you should get started doing your ONE THING today.
Tell Us…
Which enemy of change do you struggle with the most? We’d love to hear your stories. Post your comments below.
