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“There are two primary choices in life: to accept conditions as they exist or accept the responsibility for changing them.” Dr. Denis Waitley
One of my favorite cartoons growing up was The Super Friends. I could not wait for Saturday morning to sit down and watch The Super Friends. My favorite episodes were when they were saving the world from the Legion of Doom. The Legion Doom was comprised of a group of evil villains who were led by Lex Luthor.
Superman’s Story
Lex Luthor was the arch enemy of my favorite superhero, Superman. Superman was the strongest and most powerful of The Super Friends. He was the superhero you could count on to always come through in the end. He was described as faster than a speeding bullet, could leap tall buildings at a single bound and more powerful than a locomotive.
Superman was known as the Man of Steel. He could do anything. Whenever there was trouble or the world was under attack, Superman was called on to save the day. No one or nothing could stop him, but Kryptonite.
Kryptonite was the green radioactive material from Superman’s home planet Krypton. It is his ultimate natural weakness. Anytime Lex Luthor and The Legion of Doom wanted to shut down Superman’s strength, they would somehow get him to come in contact with kryptonite.
Once he came into contact with kryptonite, it would immobilize him. Kryptonite was Superman’s Achilles heel. It was the one weakness that could bring down a seemingly invincible hero. Kryptonite’s radioactive power left Superman vulnerable to his enemy’s attack.
What is your kryptonite?
What is the one thing in your life that hinders you from living your best life? As soon as you start progressing forward, it shows up like kryptonite and throws a monkey wrench in your progress.
Every person has some kind of kryptonite that can adversely affect their life. Your kryptonite may be issues handling money, relationship problems, the fear of failure, past regrets, overeating, a quick tongue or procrastination.
Kryptonite’s power is detrimental. If it can stop Superman’s powers, it can stop you from living your best life.
My kryptonite
I want to be vulnerable and share my kryptonite. I struggle with the fear of failure. I have battled the fear of failure for many years. It always attacks at its height when I am progressing to do something out of my comfort zone.
It took me several years to start my blog website. I dreamed and talked about it. But, every time I would start, my kryptonite would show up and say discouraging things like, ‘no one’s going to read your material, you are not a writer,’ or, ‘you will fail’. I would allow the negative voice of my kryptonite to encourage me to postpone launching my blog.
When I finally got over the initial hurdle and wrote my first blog post, my kryptonite said it sounded like a third grader had written it and people would laugh. Again, I listened to my kryptonite’s negative voice and put off launching my website for several months.
I was allowing my kryptonite to win. Every day I put off launching my blog was another day of victory for him. It was not until January of 2012 that I said enough was enough and launched my blog. I must admit, I came close to surrendering again, but I pushed through the negativity, doubt, and fear.
I would love to say that since then, I have not let my kryptonite interrupt my progress, but I have. It is an ongoing battle to overcome it, but with persistence, patience, and practice I know I can do it. I have asked God to remove this kryptonite from my life several thousand times, but it is still there.
Just like Superman, everyone has a kryptonite that affects their life. The question that you must answer, are you willing to work daily to overcome it or will you give in to its debilitating assault.
Six Strategies
Here are six strategies you can implement today to defeat your kryptonite and push your life forward.
1. Refrain from procrastination.
Procrastination can become a full-time occupation. Some people are experts at procrastinating. They know what they need to do, but they continue to put off today for tomorrow. They know how to do everything except what is important to move their life forward.
Please be encouraged, you can break through the hindering grip of the kryptonite-like, killer procrastination, by simply breaking your life’s goals into smaller manageable steps. It will take a concentrated effort and an uncompromising commitment to transform from a procrastinator to a person of action. You can do it with patience and perseverance. What do you need to stop procrastinating about and take immediate action?
2. Rise above others’ opinions.
Everyone has an opinion. People will tell you what you can and can’t accomplish. They will express what you need to do and how you need to do it. They will give you instruction based on what they were able to do or not do.
Don’t let others opinions drown out your life’s vision voice. Don’t allow what they think is right for you devalue what you know is right for you to do. You have a vision to pursue and you cannot afford to let the voice of others cancel it out. It is up to you to rise above their opinions and walk to the sound of your vision. What person’s opinion have you listened to that have kept you moving forward with a dream? What person can you connect with that help you progress in life?
3. Realize you are responsible.
It is your responsibility to make the effort to live best life. Give yourself permission to live the life you dream of living. You only get one chance at life and you might as well live it the best you can.
4. Refocus your thoughts.
Proverbs 23: 7 says, ‘for as he thinks in his heart so is he…’ Your thoughts position you for success or failure. Your thoughts determine your destiny or demise. If your thoughts are stuck on what looks impossible or what others say can’t be done then you will stay stuck. You must make the effort to refocus your thoughts on your potential possibilities.
Imagine the big picture of living your life at maximum capacity. Visualize the incredible future success that awaits you and those connected to you. When you refocus your thoughts on what’s possible for you, your life will change in a more positive and progressive direction. What negative thoughts must you eliminate from your mind? What must you do to focus your mind on more positive and progressive thoughts?
5. Refuse to make excuses.
How often do you catch yourself making excuses? Instead of doing what needs to be done, you come up with ways to explain your inaction. Excuses are self-built barriers that hold you hostage from living life at the highest level. If you continue to persist with making excuses, your life will always remain stagnant.
A stagnant life does not produce positive results. It only produces frustration, fatigue, and false hope. When you become serious about making a real commitment to living your best life, you will eliminate the excuses and GET THE JOB DONE. What excuses have you made that have held you hostage from living your best life? What steps do you need to take to overcome your excuses?
6. Respond with action.
Your life is waiting for you to live it at maximum capacity. There are enough dead dreams in the graveyard. Graveyards are full of dreams that never were fulfilled because people kept talking about their dreams instead of living them.
There are dreams that you must release from your life. If you do not, your life will be another casualty in the graveyard of dead dreams. If you are reading this, join me in chasing your dreams. If you do not live your dreams, they will never be lived.
You can talk and dream about overcoming the kryptonite that is hindering your progress, but that won’t change the situation. You can ask for others advice and counsel, but that will not stop your kryptonite attacks. They only thing that will bring resolution is to respond with action. What action steps can you take right now to overcome your kryptonite(s)?
If you are ready to gain daily victory over your kryptonite and live your best life, implement these six strategies and watch the results.
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Photo Credit: Getty Images