We have all heard this phrase or some variation of it used during a game show.
You know the deal…the question is asked to the panel of contestants to see if their answers match. There is excitement in the air as the game show host says…”and the answer is…”
Life, however, is not a game show.
So what happens in life when the question is asked, and it is received with dread, the excitement long gone? The answer comes, but it is not really the answer to the question being asked or is it? Where did this lukewarm answer come from, and what happened to the passion, the goal, the dream?
Jesus asked a man who had an infirmity for 38 years if he wanted to be made well.
Simple question…right? The man replied not with a yes or a no, but with a list of reasons
why he had not been healed. One might even say a list of excuses.
Though he did not answer the question being asked, his reply spoke volumes.
38 years is a long time, and the disappointment of “no change”, not being any closer to his goal created a loss greater than the physical. Why had this man gone to the pool in Bethesda in the first place? Had he forgotten? Perhaps defeat and loss robbed him of his memory, clouded his vision and destroyed his faith.
Look at this quote from Paul Nitze,
“One of the most dangerous forms of human error is forgetting what one is trying to achieve.” We need to keep our goal in front of us at all times.
If we have forgotten it…we might as well forget it.
How about you? When someone asks you about your goal, your plan, your vision, what is your answer? Is it still vibrant and alive, or have the years taken its toll? Does your reply sound like a eulogy of someone or something you were once close to?
Get honest with yourself. What is really going on?
Remember why you started and renew your passion.
Note to self: Are you listening?
Love it !!!!!! How often do we ( I ,you and others ) forget? Life becomes filled with distractions,laziness ,traumas both large and small and we forget.
Yes – been there – done that!
I think it happens at work a lot. In the beginning you just KNOW that you’ll go places. Time goes by and you see others pass you, doors close…. It’s hard to start that fire up again, sometimes you have to try some different fuel, sometimes you need a little help. I did, and not too soon for certain.
I was recently recognized, in a very special way, for a job well done and I have to say, there’s some fire in that.
So for any leaders reading…maybe you know someone who just needs a “boost.” Hmmm, I wonder how much harder that person will work with a little dose of “fire.” Can’t hurt! 🙂
A great Blog Joe. I still have the fire. I keep inventing me. Be Big
Hey Jay! Glad to hear you still have the fire! I remember your first broadcast on the radio so many years ago…what a trip! Are you still on the radio somewhere? Hope all is well!
(June’s little sister)