Getting To The Afterwards

This week my sons and I went to the dentist. As a child I went regularly and I want to instill this routine into my son's lives. I was the last person to be seated. My oldest came out of the office smiling, showing off his clean white teeth. My younger son was still in the chair having his teeth cleaned as he watched Sponge Bob.

When the dental assistant came into the room, she asked me if I was ready. I told her I was not ready for the cold water. Every since I was a little girl I could never stand anything cold on my teeth. To me that is equivalent with fingernails scratching a chalkboard. I can't take it! The assistant assured me that at least afterwards I would have clean, beautiful teeth. My response was "But I have to get to the afterwards."

We know that there are rewards at the end of a journey, whether it is a dentist visit, a weight loss program, or finishing an education program. It's the getting there, getting to the grand reward, that can be difficult for some of us. From the beginning of a project to the end there will be growing pains and setbacks. Self-motivation and endurance are the key to completion, the key to get to where we want to be.

Several years ago my older son had an And 1 shirt that said, "It's not how good you are. It's how bad you want it." We have to continuously asked ourselves, "How bad do we want the dream employment opportunity, to be at our optimum weight, to live a purpose driven life?" Only we can motivate ourselves to be at our very best.

So on Tuesday I sat in the patient chair with the cold water constantly spraying on my teeth. I didn't complain or ask the dentist to give me a break, like I have requested in the past. I knew that once he was finished, my teeth would be pretty and clean. I was ready for my afterwards. How about you? Are you ready to go after the thing you want most in life? Are you ready to endure setbacks to reach your intended goal? Keep reaching for your afterwards.

I Am Reaching For Mine,

Lindar