Is the PRIZE worth the FIGHT?

CAUTION:  If you are overly sensitive or relentlessly idealistic or an unapologetic passivist at heart, you should probably stop reading!  =)

I grew up on a Ballahack Road “farmette” in rural Virginia…. with one brother, and two parents who loved us and loved each other unconditionally.  We were one – one family unit – and we were raised to be kind, honest, grounded and fiercely loyal….

I was also raised to be a fighter, to keep what my Dad called the “eye of the tiger”: Calm, steady, always intentional, but ready to JUMP and TAKE ACTION whenever it was demanded.  I was taught to fight physically – in the event I ever needed to defend myself – and to “win” decisively.  Of course, I was also prepard with to how to succeed emotionally, intellectually, socially.  Many people will disagree with my parent’s logic, their methods… It doesn’t matter. That’s not what this blogpost is about.  

You see, we often avoid a “fight”, so when I was in church listening to the worship, the following lyrics rang so true for me:  “If it is worth the PRIZE, it’s always worth the FIGHT.”  It reminds me of a battle scene in the movie BraveHeart.  The Scotts were facing off with their enemies.  When the men saw how apparently outmatched they were, one man said, “I have no time for this battle… let’s go home and live.”  

No time for the battle.  I can’t tell you how many times that mentality has held me back from success, prosperity, even abundance in so many other areas of my life.  I would stop pushing when I hit resistance….   I had this idea that it should be “easy”…. Convenient… Quick…. Like maybe if it were “meant to be, it would come to ME”…. 

But when I look back over my life, the things that have given me the best return – those things I am MOST proud of – were created only when I pushed through the pain… when I was willing to battle and fight for what I said I wanted. This isn’t to say these times were miserable… or full of an angry “fight” mentality… or that when I did all I could do on my own, other things didn’t seem at times to miraculously “fall” into place.  In fact, when I look back, these “battles” were some of my most treasured memories. 

I believe that there are times when the warrior in each of us needs to rise up to be counted… to stare down intimidating odds… to defy fear and timidity… to attempt the impossible… and to be willing to fail brilliantly and have the courage to  stand up and try again.   This is where life is lived, I think… outside of what is comfortable for us… or easy.  At the same time, I have to be honest and say that if my business success were built “up hill in the snow both ways”, I wouldn’t be doing it today.  I love life too much, and I love when I can expect (and experience) life and accomplishments to be EASY!  

BUT, when I’ve needed major breakthroughs in income, or in any other area, I’ve learned to ask, “WHERE DID I SHY AWAY FROM THE FIGHT?  Where / when did I stop pushing?  When did my ACTIONS show that the prize wasn’t worth the fight?”  

So, where could you double your efforts?  Where or WHAT could you push through?  Is there an area in which you see potential, but you haven’t fought to realize it?  Are there loose ends that you could fight to finish in an effort to create a better or stronger marketing or sales funnel?