Willpower

I am nearing completion of the most difficult project that I have ever undertaken. Nearly two years in the making I have completely overhauled our vitally important marketing department including completely revising every presentation for every product that we sell, and every page of our catalog and website, not to mention organizational changes and training.

It has been a test of willpower, and trust me I have strong willpower. Take working-out each and every morning for example. I religiously stay on my exercise schedule. No matter if I am sick, inundated with work, or just plain worn out; I faithfully trudge downstairs to exercise every morning. I hate the tread mill and I hate running, (literally), a voice inside me keeps telling me just to cut it short, but I refuse to do so until I have reached my time and distance on that beast.

The same is true for my various goals. I decide the best time to work on accomplishing each of them, and then once my schedule is determined, with bulldog determination I faithfully stop whatever I am doing and work on a particular project at the appointed time until the job is completed.

As strong as my willpower is, this project has been the “mother of all tests” for it, because it is undoubtedly the single most boring thing I have ever done. I literally have to “force” myself to sit down at my desk and work on this project. I feel like I am serving time in jail and cannot wait until I get out. Now I am “days” from finishing.

Yesterday I wrote one of the final presentations for one of our products. Between conference calls and meeting with workmen at my house, and many distractions I worked all day on it. I was determined to finish it by end of day, so last night after dinner I sat down at my computer to finalize it and send it to my staff. When I looked on my computer, it was gone. Somehow the document is not there anymore. I do not know if I erased it somehow, or if it has the “Mo-Joe” or what, but it is gone.

Words cannot adequately express the rage I should have felt, but I simply smiled and even laughed at this final attempt by satan to discourage me. I cannot understand my demeanor, because I should have thrown furniture and people off my balcony and beat my head or anyone else’s head against the wall and thrown a fit, but instead I just smiled. I will redo the presentation today and finish my project as planned almost two years ago now. This horrid project will be done in its entirety in two weeks. The results of my efforts will help our company grow for years to come and we will thrive because I stuck to the job when I wanted to quit literally every hour of every day. This was a major project and I am very proud of the final results. Without sounding a trumpet, I can truthfully say that I believe it will do more to help our company sell its products than anything heretofore accomplished.

If you are facing similar problems in staying on task and accomplishing your goals and are being tormented daily by satan, then remember this saga. Few worthwhile things in life are accomplished without perseverance and bulldog determination and one thing sure, there will be setbacks along the way and satan will be pecking away working against you every day in an effort to discourage you and get you to quit. Just like living our Christian lives in a manner in which we might glorify the Lord, it will not always be easy, but if we will stick to the fight and persevere to the end and make Christ part of our daily walk, in the end we will be victorious and it will be well worth the effort.

Phil. 4:13
I can do all things through
Christ who strengthens me.