What Is Holding You Back?

By: D. A. Slinkard

What a year 2020 was and now the opening of 2021 has not given much glimmer to a brighter future. That is one way to look at it, especially if you want to look at life with doom and gloom. Granted, we are facing strange times that have been predicated in the Bible, and we know that for some people it will only get worse. Does it have to be like this? No, it does not but the change in the world around you begins with you.

If I have said it once, I have said it a million times, it is much easier to think negative than it is to think positive. I was greatly disappointed in the election loss of Donald Trump, and I still am left scratching my head that Joe Biden was able to surpass Barack Hussein Obama in the number of votes he was able to get. Have you looked at the numbers? In 2008, Obama garnered just under 70 Million votes while in 2020, Biden secured 81 Million votes. I think I am scratching a bald spot on my head trying to figure this one out.

Regardless though, it is time to move on; and we need to readjust our thinking. If we want success in 2021, we are going to have to nail down what success looks like. We live in the unknown, especially fighting a virus we cannot see. If there was a time in which we needed to be flexible, we need it more now than ever. Here we are into the first month of 2021, and my question for you is, “What are you doing differently this year than what you did last year?”

If you do what you have always done, then you will get the results you have always gotten. It seems like such an elementary concept, but the reality is that many people fall victim to this way of thinking. We cannot see the forest for the trees. What does it take to be able to see past previous failures to get to success? It takes slowing down and recognizing the patterns in our lives. We must slow down and see what is bringing success and what is bringing setbacks or failures in our lives.

When was the last time you took a good look at your life to examine yourself and see how much your daily mentality is holding you back? When was the last time you took a good look to see how much your attitude is holding you back? It happens to the best of us; and if you fail to examine yourself, you will find yourself heading down a road you do not want to be stuck on in the year 2021.

If we want this year to be different than last year, we are going to have to do things differently than what we did last year. If we get stuck doing the same ole same ole, then we are going to find that 2021 will be a more miserable year than 2020. Is that what you want? Do you want the same lackluster results of last year or do you want to do something about it? I have reflected upon my 2020, and I know what needs to change. I know the areas in my life I need to be more aggressive in, and I know the areas in my life where I need to turn it down a notch.

What about you? Why not take the time today to stop and see how you need to be living versus how you have been living? One of the biggest lies people tell themselves is that they do not have enough time. They do not have enough time to work on themselves. They do not have enough time to try and better themselves. They do not have enough time to XYZ. If it is important to you, you will find a way; and if it is not, then you will find an excuse.

So how will your 2021 go? Will it be the same old thing as last year or will this be the year you stop making excuses, pick yourself up off the ground, and make something out of yourself? The choice is yours to make. You can either run the day or the day will run you; but just know that either you are in control or out of control of your life. Which one will it be for you?
By: D. A. Slinkard