Determination: The Bridge Between a dream and an achievement
Good afternoon For just a moment I am going to share about something called determination. I call it the bridge between a dream and an achievement. Webster’s dictionary calls it the stamina to persist until a goal is obtained. The stamina or persistence to hold on to an initial vision. But we must, in our efforts to discover determination, glance at the need for goals. The Bible says without a vision the people perish. The famous motivational speaker, Zig Ziglar says it like this, “You Gotta Have Goals”. There was a statistical study done by the class of 1953 college graduates Yale University. The study focused on the number of college graduates who had achieved their graduating goals. 97% of the Grads had not. Most of the graduates never bothered to write down goals. Some wrote them but were not specific. Then there was a group that was specific this group made up 3% of the graduates. Surprisingly enough 10 years later these 3% have achieved their goals and some had even surpassed them. As Zig Ziglar says you gotta have goals. They truly are the stair steps to the doorway of success.
Enough about goals, already! We hear about goals in church, financial goals, career goals, physical goals, soccer goals, and hockey goals. It seems every where we look the quest to set the perfect goals are prevalent in all aspects of our lives. But what is the energy that pushes a person from the starting line of a goal to the finish line.
I believe it is the push of determination.
The Bible says when we are weak that is when He is strong. If we trust God. There will be times when to give up is much more glorious than to press on. Then there will be those moments when nothing can tear you from your destiny. Then there will be other times when you will say this can't be the purpose for which I was created. It’s at these dark hours when the lights of success stand up and say “only a little further". This is when determination sits in your stomach like a baby and you feel like you can't stop even if you want to. You know this baby must be birthed. Determination. A mother in labor goes through much pain. In the middle of the delivery I have heard stories of mothers that holler “I Cant Do It. Others yell obscenities at their husbands but most make it through. After the travailing has past, there is a level of satisfaction the mother feels that no man can ever explain. That’s how determination works.
Times will come when you have plans, plans, and more plans. What will you do when you are in the storm alone. Will you hold on, even though you’re tired or will you slowly begin to let go. Determination is the enthusiasm that rises up out of your innermost being and pushes you a little further. It says hold on a little longer the storm is almost over.As we endeavor to live a productive life we must embrace the heart of determination. Winston Churchill said it like this : The nose of the Bulldog is slanted upward so he can continue to breathe without letting go. No matter what wind blows our way we must have that bulldog tenacity. You and I have just reached a crucial apex in our lives. We are going on to a new plateau where the rules are between you and God. The plans for your future are optional. Life is what you make it. These things are all true and sometimes you may feel a bit intimidated by these facts but in the midst of cloudy days we can be the ones that search for sunlight. Yes, we must have priorities. We also need to know our purpose and plans help us pave our own road to success. But determination gives us the momentum to keep going. Ladies and gentlemen, we must not circum to mediocrity but we must rise to the occasion in superiority. In order to rise we must be compelled to accomplish a goal or a dream. In the words of Walt Disney: If you can Dream It you Can Achieve It”. But the only way you will ever get through the storms of life is if you make up your mind to hold on to your dreams. Never letting go of the visions within you. Sometimes our visions my change but remember this it is very hard to travel if you can’t see where you are going,
This is your life. You can make a difference. Rise to the occasion and experience the pleasure of defeating this enemy called average. If you can dream it you truly can achieve it. The storms of life will pass. The waters once a foe, now a friend. The moonlight shines down upon you. The wind now, a soft caress. The rain only a silky mist. The storm, a horrible memory. Your eyes fill with sleepy tears. Your heart full of appreciation.
Determination the bridge between a dream and an achievement.
