Enemies of Success

Pastor used the story of Nehemiah and the rebuilding of the wall to demonstrate the different enemies to success. As a take away from that sermon I'm committing to making myself aware of these enemies so that I know that I don't need to succumb to their efforts to stop me from reaching my goals.

I'm happy to say that I've overcome some of these enemies myself in my own personal financial debt free journey.

LAUGHS

Whenever you take on a seemingly impossible task or if you are going to embark on something new to those around you, there will be laughter.

People will laugh in your face and behind your back. And they do this because they don't believe accomplishing the goal is possible. They believe that it is ridiculous for you to even set that up as a goal for yourself. Thankfully you don't need their permission.

LURES

Sometimes people may try to lure you away for your goal. They think they are doing you a service - saving you timing, energy, money, resources etc. But in reality these people that are afraid that you will actually achieve it!

Think about it, if you accomplish your goal they will be forced to answer the question "If he/she has done - why haven't I?"

Accomplishing your goal disarms these folks from using the ammo of excuses they've used to not push forward themselves. Don't be discouraged or distracted when the lures come. Stay focused. When you achieve it, you call others to higher ground.

LIES

When you are close to achieving your goal and the haters see that you are close beware of the lies that fly. These people will use lies to invalidate your hard work or disqualify you.

I've been guilty of this in my life when I allowed jealousy to drive my emotions.

When people lie about you, it's evidence that there is something insufficient within themselves. You don't need to track down lies and try to correct it. Complete what you set your mind to accomplish and your results will speak for themselves.

LAZY LEADERS

This can be an easy one to hide behind. When leaders aren't leading appropriately this can be problematic. As one who is in a position of making progress you don't have to let poor leadership prevent you from doing what you can do.

If a leader is lazy, consider this an opportunity for you to hold them accountable. Follow up with them on what is expected of them so that you can succeed as a worker. If they don't follow through, make sure to keep a paper trail so that you don't get ding. Always find a way to move the buck forward.

LETHARGIC

Fatigue is real. It's natural and we experience it often throughout life.

At times we can run full speed and sometimes we need to take strides and some points we need a break. It's important to let your mind, body and soul have regular, scheduled moments of rest and rejuvenation.

It could be a daily walk, a weekly get together with friends or a month off from regular duties. Let it be regular, intentional and for a set time. Rest if you must but don't you quit!

LOANS

Loan, loans, loans. SMH. This is definitely an enemy but appears to be friend. Loans give the feeling that you are able to do more financially but ultimately cost you more money in the long run.

Having a loan puts you in debt to someone else. In other words you are in bondage - why live this way?

By all mean we must avoid loans so that we are free to use our time, talent, treasure freely. Loans make that very diffucult to do. So much needs to be done when it comes to higher education and homebuying, but the more simple things like car loans and credit cards can be avoided easily.

Save yourself heartache, get rid of your loan ASAP. Doing so will free you up to accomplish your goals.