With her national flag tied to her cane, Hulda Crooks, age 91, climbed the 12,388 feet of Mt. Fuji. She didn’t let her age, fear of failure or risk get in her way. Teiichi Igarashi, 99 years old, conquered the same Mount Fuji in 1986.
You may not be in your nineties. You may not want to climb mountains. But, you have goals. A goal is, ‘a future event which is desirable and accomplishable’. When you set a goal, follow SCRAM (Specific, Consistent, Reasonable, Attainable, and Measurable).
“The loafer says, there’s a lion on the loose! If I go out I’ll be eaten alive!” (Proverbs 22:13 MSG) We are not remembered for our failures. We are remembered for our successes.
James Benson Irwin isn’t remembered for his failures. He is not remembered for the flying accident, his broken jaw and legs. He is not remembered for required therapy. He is not remembered for being rejected from the astronaut training program four times. He is not remembered for failures. He is remembered for being the eighth man to walk on the moon.
You may not want to walk on the moon or climb Mount Fuji, but you do have dreams and goals. The best part is you can accomplish them. Don’t stop trying just because you don’t want to fail. Failure is normal, we all experience it. The challenge is to go beyond failure to accomplishment.
“Never be afraid to charge a hill, overcome an obstacle, or maneuver around a hurdle that keeps you from achieving what you believe God is calling you to,” (Lomenick, 2013)
“Now give me this hill country that the Lord promised me that day.” (Joshua 14:12 NIV)
Let’s seek God in prayer, scripture and goal setting.
Laurie D. Kennedy
Leadership Coach
Author of Leadership Is … Devotions for Servant Leaders