Courage is a highly admired virtue. Most often we associate the word with physical prowess or bravery. But there’s another form of valor that’s much more important because it comes up more often. It’s called moral courage – the willingness to face not physical danger but emotional pain, disapproval, financial insecurity, or uncertainty rather than compromise an ethical principle.
Moral courage is essential not only for a virtuous life, but a happy one. Without courage, we have no control over our lives. Our fears corrode our spirit and confine us like a barbed wire fence. That’s why they say a coward dies a thousand deaths, a brave man but one.
It was so difficult. We inched our way up, climbing the “Snake Path” of Masada, a fortress in the mountains of ancient Israel where the Jewish people held off the Roman emperor’s army for three years.
As in the days of Masada, my “trip” up the “Snake Path” was very difficult. However, I kept reminding myself as I inched up the path with my father, “The easy things in life are usually not worth doing.”
Many people complain about not having something in their life and then use excuses to legitimize why they do not have it. Most of us have no problem coming up with perfectly valid reasons for not taking action. Our excuses may temporarily make us feel better, yet they do not bring any value to life. Excuses do not pay the bills, they do not solve problems, and they just allow us to justify not taking action.
Common excuses people use; what would other people think?, it’s uncomfortable, I’ll never be as good as ____, it will take too long, no one will care whether I do it or not, I don’t deserve to succeed, it’s too hard, I don’t have the time, I don’t have the money, as you have probably already realized, I could go on and on. Nothing just happens in life. It is a series of decisions; nothing will be real without a decision. In order to have those “somethings” in our life we must be persistent and faithful or we may end up with the results that are the complete opposite of what we desire or dream. Continue reading “Saturday Morning Gift – Excuses – Which One is Keeping You From Your Financial Freedom?”
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One of the most interesting Americans who lived in the 19th century was a man by the name of Russell Herman Conwell. He was born in 1843 and lived until 1925. He was a lawyer for about fifteen years until he became a clergyman.
One day, a young man went to him and told him he wanted a college education but couldn’t swing it financially. Dr. Conwell decided, at that moment, what his aim in life was, besides being a man of the cloth – that is. He decided to build a university for unfortunate, but deserving, students. He did have a challenge however. He would need a few million dollars to build the university. For Dr. Conwell, and anyone with real purpose in life, nothing could stand in the way of his goal.
Several years before this incident, Dr. Conwell was tremendously intrigued by a true story – with its ageless moral. The story was about a farmer who lived in Africa and through a visitor became tremendously excited about looking for diamonds. Diamonds were already discovered in abundance on the African continent and this farmer got so excited about the idea of millions of dollars worth of diamonds that he sold his farm to head out to the diamond line. He wandered all over the continent, as the years slipped by, constantly searching for diamonds, wealth, which he never found. Eventually he went completely broke and threw himself into a river and drowned.
Meanwhile, the new owner of his farm picked up an unusual looking rock about the size of a country egg and put it on his mantle as a sort of curiosity. A visitor stopped by and in viewing the rock practically went into terminal convulsions. He told the new owner of the farm that the funny looking rock on his mantle was about the biggest diamond that had ever been found. The new owner of the farm said, “Heck, the whole farm is covered with them” – and sure enough it was.
The farm turned out to be the Kimberly Diamond Mine…the richest the world has ever known. The original farmer was literally standing on “Acres of Diamonds” until he sold his farm.
Dr. Conwell learned from the story of the farmer and continued to teach it’s moral. Each of us is right in the middle of our own “Acre of Diamonds”, if only we would realize it and develop the ground we are standing on before charging off in search of greener pastures. Dr. Conwell told this story many times and attracted enormous audiences. He told the story long enough to have raised the money to start the college for underprivileged deserving students. In fact, he raised nearly six million dollars and the university he founded, Temple University in Philadelphia, has at least ten degree-granting colleges and six other schools.
When Doctor Russell H. Conwell talked about each of us being right on our own “Acre of Diamonds”, he meant it. This story does not get old…it will be true forever.
Opportunity does not just come along – it is there all the time – we just have to see it.
Earl Nightingale
1921-1989, From Our Changing World Radio Transcript
Author of The Strangest Secret
OK OK, yes this baby boomer is an old die hard Pink Floyd Fan!!!
My experience is that most people quit on themselves. We get all excited about a project or task, get to the difficult or tedious part and quit. When you quit on yourself, it isn’t just you that is affected. I now realize that the times in the past that I quit on myself have negatively that has impacted my life and the lives of my family and friends.
Do you run away from the challenges in your life or do you face them head on and say “bring it on”. Unfortunately many people have been taught to make decisions based on fear, it is their default. What is your default? I have had the privilege of entering a totally new environment in my mid 30’s, I learned how to scuba dive. Very shortly after I was certified I took a diving holiday to the Caribbean. Before my first dive I was informed that barracuda run/swim away from scuba divers, they are more afraid of us than we are of them. On my first dive I was able to put that to the test. There was the barracuda… I hesitated for a moment…decided to listen to what the dive master told me…swam toward the barracuda and sure enough he turned around and swam away. It was an awesome experience and I was able to prove to myself that sometimes my fear is all in my head. Challenging my fear was very powerful and eye opening. Continue reading “Saturday Morning Gift – Are You a Quitter Or a Winner?”