Cold, hard, fact...not everything we do in life is going to be a success.
There will be times in life that we have to fight for. As a photography business entrepreneur, our crowd especially see ups and downs. I've seen so many solid photographers give up on their career because making a go at it just became too difficult to bear. ...and we can't always control what happens in our business, but we can control our behavior through it.
My new goals for 2019 are simple. "Keep on swingin'". That's it...that's all there is too it. When it comes to my business, even if there's a slow season or a lag, my goal is to keep on swingin'. I want to do everything I can to fight for this privilege I have to run a business, doing work that I get so much out of. I want to know that, even if everything were to go belly up, that I have done everything I am possibly capable of to put in every ounce of myself to see it through. Because the alternative is to lay down and let it die. I can't stomach the thought of just sitting back and watching everything I've been working for over the past 12 years burn to the ground. This business is mine, and if I don't fight for it, no one will.
I've also made this simple goal my approach to my health and physical fitness this year. All I have to do is keep on swingin'. Some days I may "throw more punches", but as long as I keep at it, progress will come. That's the thing about keeping a spirit of fight inside of us...it will always lead to progress. It's not to say that some days won't be more difficult than others, but as long as we keep swinging away then we will see the benefit build. ...and I know this sounds like common sense, but this mantra really does encompass a change in philosophy. Because it's shifting outlook from an "end goal" to a daily routine. For example, my goal isn't to lose 75lbs this year...my goal is to eat healthier and exercise today, then repeat. If it so happens that I lose 75lbs this year as a result of that, terrific...but it's not how I'm going to measure my goal. ...and days that I don't feel like it, well, I plan to just keep swingin'. Even when I'm tired and don't feel like it, even when I don't have the energy, even when I'm not seeing results... Just. Keep. Swingin'.
I've also made this my goal in my spiritual life as well. As much as I hate to admit it, not everyday of my life is going to be lived as close to God as it should be or as I want it to be. But, if I can make it a daily goal to deny myself, seek God, share Jesus, and fight to overcome sin and temptation, then it becomes more manageable than simply trying to say "I'm going to try to be a better Christian this year". The reality is, I'm going to fail at living up to what Christ has afforded me. But a greater reality is that God is there to catch me when I fail and He wants me to fight a good fight. ...and when my time on this life is over, I want God to be able to look upon me and say "Well done...you went down swingin'"! We have no guarantees of how many days we get to live, but we can keep on swingin' every day in order to live like it could be our last.
It doesn't matter what area of life you're struggling in right now, this concept will help to see you through. ...and the most important aspect that I could share on this technique is that, by continuing to fight for what you believe in, your odds of success increase exponentially! The more we fight, the longer we endure, the closer we get to seeing real results. With every swing we increase our chances of succeeding. Besides, what's the alternative? To simply give up? To be a quitter? Those aren't terms I'm comfortable describing myself with and it's not how I want to live my life. How about you? How do you want to be remembered? As someone who gave up and was too weak to fight for their faith, their family, and their livelihood...or do you want to be remembered as an example that others can look to on how to fight until the very end?