Prepare and Pursue

“The best preparation for tomorrow is doing your best today.” —  H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

Challenges can be terrifying and rewarding. Once we muster the strength to get to the end of the tunnel, the effort will pay tenfold and we might question what took us so long to get going. Dealing with the initial fear while gaining the momentum to get going can be crippling to our personal development journey. Humans are gifted with a mind that has cognitive abilities so advanced that science hasn’t even been able to pinpoint them all. Our cognitive abilities are a blessing, but they also come with a price to pay. While our mind can plan and execute tasks while thinking of positive thoughts to keep us going, it can also multiply our fears and give our excuses the strength they need to cripple our motivation and abilities. So when we do have a challenge on the horizon, or even on our doorstep, how do we thrive and rise above the challenge?

In order to overcome the excuses and initial fear, it needs to be ripped from its roots. Ask questions and figure out what the fear is and why it is there. For example, if the fear is about an upcoming exam is it because there is a fear of failing the exam? Are prior memories of poor test scores resurfacing into conscious awareness?  Examining the core of the problem can be intimidating, but it is necessary in order to overcome the problem and extinguish the fears and excuses that are holding us back.

Once a better idea of the core problem is established, we can prepare. Whatever the fear is, prepare for it. If the fear is presenting a horrible presentation, prepare and practice the presentation. Do as much as you can to practice and prepare to let the confidence rise and the doubt disintegrate. Get help from others to get your questions answered and find out additional tips that will help you thrive. Take the critiques people share with you and learn from them to improve. If stress levels are rising, find ways to reduce levels of stress to keep calm and focused. Developing skills and getting help improves our confidence and when we are confident in our abilities, we can stand up to fear and challenges to conquer the mission.

Preparing helps but eventually the time will come where we have to face our challenge head on. When the day comes, take a deep breath and pursue the challenge. Go for it and do the best you can. While preparing is important, pursuing is just as important. We can practice every day, but if we never take risks and move on with the challenge we will never reach that level of personal development and satisfaction that we desire.  We can’t predict every possible outcome that might happen, but if we prepare and do our best, we have done all that we can do. If it’s not enough and we fail, then we carry on. Learn from the mistake, practice the craft again, and just keep pursuing and never give up. Eventually, success will be yours for the taking. When all else fails, be patient and remember: “Prepare and pursue will help get me through”

***Check out my guest post, Ask Questions.***

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