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Goals

"If the highest aim of a captain were to preserve his ship," said Thomas Aquinas, "he would keep it in port forever." So many of us, I have seen, do harbor our dreams in a port of inaction so that we never have to face our shortcomings or endure the pain of difficult work. There are those difficult moments in the pursuit of a dream when a person asks the all-important question: why. "Why am I doing this?" "Why should I continue if nothing is changing?" This question was easy enough to answer before starting; but hardship can cause a person to lose sight of why he or she thought to pursue the dream in the first place. Disillusionment sets in, especially if there is no apparent fruit coming from your labor (intellectual, spiritual, physical, etc.). In long-distance running, this is called "the wall," the moment when a runner feels as though there is no possible way to continue running.

Runners know, however, that it is possible to break through that wall. Someone had to find that out by experience. No matter how inadequate we can sometimes feel, no man or woman is without faults. Simply trying to conceal them will only lead to them being exposed gradually, instead of in the brilliant explosion of real-world mistakes that make for good conversation.

If you know your reason for doing a thing, hold onto that, and stay committed. It is easier said than done, I know, but it will be the only thing that encourages you to continue. At the same time, don't be afraid of making goals that seem unattainable. You might fail, but if you do, you'll only begin to understand yourself (your strengths and faults) more clearly. In the process, know that your life will be on display; but if that is frightening, remember that your life will be on display whether you choose to pursue your goals or not. You might as well try.

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