No. 371 - WHAT IS HOLDING YOU BACK?

No371
Jim Davidson...NEWSPAPER COLUMN

WHAT IS HOLDING YOU BACK?

Are you familiar with the saying, "As ye sow, so shall ye reap?" Actually, this is part of a verse from the Bible and it can be found in the book of Galatians. What made me think of this was a quotation I discovered some time ago by C.A. Hall: "We sow our thoughts and reap our actions; we sow our actions and we reap our habits; we sow our habits and we reap our characters; we sow our characters and we reap our destiny." If you will think about this for a moment, I believe you will agree the key word here is "we", meaning you and me. We are the ones who do the sowing and we are the ones who will ultimately reap the consequences.
A proper understanding of this natural law that we call "Cause and Effect", will allow any thinking person to tell his or her own fortune. All we have to do is make sure we are sowing good seeds (actions) and we will continue to reap good rewards. It is very important to understand that this is not something that happens overnight, but rather it is the persistent, day-by-day application of this wonderful law of nature that will make the difference.
On the other hand, if for some reason you feel that you have limitations that are holding you back, I believe this true story will be of some value to you. Several years ago, I remember talking with a friend who grew up in a rural area and their home was situated on the side of a mountain. This was back in the days when very few people had cars and when this family wanted to go anywhere, they would just hitch up a team of mules to a wagon. My friend went on to tell me that the mountain their home was on was so steep that they would have to tie a log on the back of the wagon to hold it back to keep the wagon's momentum from running over the mules!
Now, if you have a vivid imagination, in your mind, can't you just see a wagon full of people coming down a mountain with a big log tied on behind it? If you can see this, I believe you will agree that this is a perfect illustration of how so many people go through life like there is something tied on behind them that is holding them back. While it was in a humorous vein, one time I heard a speaker say that If Columbus had been married to his wife, his rear end would still be tied to the dock.
To be sure, this is just a simple analogy, but it would take months to count all the people who for one reason or another feel that something outside themselves is holding them back. If you or someone you love happens to be one of these people, see if some of these reasons don't hit you where you live: "I'm held back because of ... 1) lack of education, 2) family responsibilities, 3) my age, 4) not knowing the right people, 5) lack of money, 6) my boss, 7) my appearance, 8) the fear of failure, 9) my IQ, 10) my husband or wife, 11) the fear of ridicule, 12) these times, 13) no specific plans, and finally. 14) I'm held back because of fate. In the case of number 14, it's been said that the word "fate" is "the refuge of every self-confessed failure."
When it comes to sales, and we all have to sell ourselves, the Fear of rejection is what keeps the vast majority of people from being successful. In most cases, we have to make our own way in the world. Until our next visit, I hope you will think very carefully about these words of wisdom by P.G. Hammerton: "A strong life is like a ship of war. It has its place in the fleet and can share in its strength and discipline, but it can also go forth alone to the solitude of the infinite sea." (EDITOR'S NOTE: Jim Davidson is a motivational speaker and columnist. You may contact him at 2 Bentley Drive, Conway, Arkansas 72034.)