I confess, I love westerns. There is nothing like those “Showdown” scenes
where the film is shot from down low and you see those boots moving slowly,
step by step until they come to a stop just 100 feet from the other guy.
Tumble weed blows by. The wind stirs the dust. The camera moves up and you
see fingers twitching, getting ready to draw. You know that it is only a few
moments until the good guy lets the bad guy have it and he’ll be on his way
to saving the day and setting the town free again. All that stands in his
way is this one obstacle. But that obstacle must be put away.
What would you do in that situation? Would you save the day and proceed to
victory, or would you run and hide? Running and hiding is tempting when you
see the guy all dressed in black, symbolizing your impending doom!
Isn’t that what happens regularly though? Our journey to success always has
these “Showdowns” that we have to go through if we are going to get there.
There are always going to be “bad guys” we have to get through.
Let’s take a look at a few:
Fear. Fear is the pre-imminent “bad guy.” He keeps millions of people from
success. Here is a secret: There are times when I am stretching myself to
achieve all that I can, when I am taking huge risks, that I wake up in the
middle of the night and I am so scared I can’t sleep! Fear will tell you
anything to keep you from even trying! But do you know what takes care of
fear? Persistence. You see, everybody has fear. The most successful people I
know have fear. But they work through it rather than give up! To be
successful you have to have and win that showdown with fear.
Crowd mentality. I have become increasingly aware of this in recent years.
The crowd is loud. They are tenacious in letting you know that they expect
you to do things their way or something is just not right. You know, it is
the relative who calls you a dreamer. It is the naysayers. They want you to
do what is normal. Well friend, nobody ever got successful doing what the
crowd does. The crowd is average, that’s why they’re the crowd! To be
successful you have to have that showdown with the calling of the crowd.
Hear their voices screaming, “Don’t do that. Be like us,” and win the
showdown.
Doubt. Success usually takes a while. It rarely comes overnight. And after
some time, you will begin to doubt. “Am I dreaming too big?” “Did I take a
dumb risk?” “Should I quit and go back to something safe?” Rest assured, it
will come. But this is when your vision must be string and you must keep
going. Stick with the dream. Don’t give up! Overcome your doubt and the
doubts of others! To be successful you must have that showdown with doubt
and win!
Yes, there will be many showdowns. The above are but a few, though they are
the major ones. Maybe you are experiencing them even now. Your time has
come. The old western music is playing. Your foe dressed in black grins that
devilish grin. He thinks you can’t do it. But have your showdown. Win. Then
ride off into the sunset!
About The Author:
Chris Widener is a popular speaker and writer as well as the President of
Made for Success, a company helping individuals and organizations turn
their potential into performance, succeed in every area of their lives and
achieve their dreams.
To see Chris “live” at the upcoming Jim Rohn Weekend Event as he speaks on
the subject of Secrets of Influence go to
or call 800-929-0434.
