No Easy Wins

In this life you are not going to find too many easy wins. I know that some people make winning look easy and some people even make losing look easy for that matter. But it is important that win, lose or draw; that you face every obstacle, trial, test or circumstance with the same determination that no matter what the outcome, I’m going to give it my all. I know that people don’t like to struggle and like to take the road of least resistance but I have found that nothing worth having comes easy. Dick Bass stated that “Men are made strong  not by winning easy battles, but by losing hard-fought ones.” People don’t like to lose but I am persuaded that if I do have to lose at something, I’m going down swinging. This type of attitude will get you through the harsh reality that you will not win at everything that you do. Have you ever found yourself in a fight that you knew you couldn’t win but you didn’t want to go down without fighting back? Sometimes we may feel like we are going down for the count but it is important to remember that even though the battle is a hard one to overcome, don’t allow the enemy, circumstance or situation get an easy win. If you have to go down, at least go down swinging, kicking and screaming. At least let the enemy know that he was in a battle. You have to learn how to have victory in the face of defeat. Winning may not come easy but don’t let losing come easy either.

Not too many like winning the hard way. Easy wins are the preferred method chosen by some. But no athlete worth his weight wants to win a competition where the opponent just lays down and quits. Having an adversary or opponent that challenges you brings out the best in you. When you compete against someone who you feel is on the same level as you are, has similar strengths and weaknesses, you consider this a good fight. I can remember when I use to compete is sport karate, there were several guys from rival dojangs (Korean for training studios) that I would routinely come up against at tournaments. I always enjoyed fighting against these guys because it brought out the best in me. It made me compete on a greater level than I ever would competing against a weaker competitor. Even if I won, I knew that it was not an easy win. I had to earn the right to be called champion. In your life, no matter what you find yourself coming up against, you have to earn the right to be called a champion. Don’t look for the easy wins. You will never know how good you are until you go up against an equally suited opponent. Easy wins are not an option. Yes you may get a trophy but deep down inside you know that you really didn’t earn it and it doesn’t mean as much. But the greater the opponent, the greater the reward. I’d rather lose hard than to win easy. Always remember that it may not be easy but it is worth it!

No easy wins! The prize that you want, the success that you need to achieve, the victory that is in your hands will cost you something. but no matter the cost; No price is too great for this prize! You may feel outmatched, outclassed, outwitted, outgunned, outnumbered or even outsourced. Your situation may be poised to take you out at the opening bell. the odds may be stacked against you and it may look like defeat for you is just assured as victory for them; but once you settle in your mind that it’s not over unless you win, fight with everything you’ve got. For what you want to accomplish with your life, you may have to cry, but let it motivate you to push forward. You may have to walk alone, but let it motivate you to just keep walking past everyone else who decided to quit. Let the notion of failure propel you onward pass the possibility of you going down. Let it be the adrenaline you need to not give up but to keep pressing towards the prize of the high calling. The deck may be against you, people may leave you and victory may seem out of reach, but keep going until you win! It may not be an easy win but a win is a win! The race is not given to the swift nor to the strong but to the one who endures until the end!  – No Easy wins!

Eric Smith

You are tougher than you think you are

Can you have success without a struggle? Can you truly have success without sacrificing something? Through all that you have gone through, who pulled you through it, you made it? Who gets the credit for you being here today? Sometimes we can feel so overwhelmed with everything that we have to go through. It may even seem like you are the only one that is facing something  huge in your life. Some people call it  going through a trial of faith while others see it as being in over your head with no way out. There may even be times when you are tempted to just throw in the towel and  ask why me? But I would say why not you? You may even let the thought creep into your mind that says is this the lot of my life? Is this all that there is for me? Am I meant to be like this for the rest of my life, go through this situation for the rest of my life, live like this for the rest of my life? When will the struggle be over and when can I find relief? These may be some of the questions that come to you when it seems like all hell is breaking loose in your life and no help seems to be on the way. But I want to encourage you today by saying you are tougher than you think you are and your best days and your blessed days are yet to come!

Notice I did not say your good days are coming.You see, some people only feel good on good days and the rest of their life they are down in the dumps. Some people only praise good times and then when the party is over, or the fantasy is over so to speak, they revert back to the low self-esteem, low-motivated no hope person that existed on the other side of the situation they are currently facing. But I have some good news for you today, your situation may not change and things might not get better but get worse; there may be no rescue plan set in motion to bring you out of what you find yourself in. But there is hope, there is an answer to your questions and as soon as you are ready to leave your pity party behind, there is a praise party that is awaiting you. Go get yourself some candles, find that CD that makes you feel like you are walking on water, turn it up, find you a noise maker and go to dancing all over your house. Celebrate that fact that you are still alive today, with breath in your body and in your right mind. I guarantee that you will find the praise party a much better place to be in than the pity party. It may sound crazy to do but what have you got to lose?

Robert Shuller stated that “tough times don’t last but tough people do“. If you can name your problem you can name your possibility! Your life can be a portrait of a survivor but you’ve got to put your problems in the proper perspective. You are a winner. you are a survivor and a thriver. Sure you have problems and they may be the worst thing that you have ever faced but I guarantee they could have been worse. No matter how bad your situation may be right no, it could have been worse so you need to thank God right in the middle of what you are facing that you are still here. No matter how life knocks you  down, and it will, you’ve got to look up to the hills from whence cometh your help and acknowledge that your help and your strength to over come, comes from the Lord! Everybody has problems and no life is problem-free but you must understand that tough times don’t last but tough people do. You can tack a licking and keep on ticking. You can face the tragedies in your life with the confidence that you are not alone and you were built to last.

You may have felt like giving up when you stumbled in life and made a mistake or you may have felt like wanted to die because you could not see any way out of your situation. All your friends may have  turned and walked away from you and you may have lost all that you worked your whole life to build; your career – gone, your family – gone, your money – gone. But you are still here! Don’t ever discount that my friend. You are still here in spite of what tried to take you out.  You may have lost a limb but you survived. You may have lost family members and friends along the way but you made it. It may have been on a wing and prayer but you did it. It may have been hard and the task may have felt daunting but you made it to fight and win another day because you are tougher than you think you are.

Eric Smith