Have you ever stared up at the tower…

And felt like it was just too much?  That maybe the easier course of action is to just get in your vehicle and drive back home.  That your initial confident thought of climbing it was maybe a little heavy on the insanity?  What if you knew that going up the tower was part of the journey and a necessary next step?  Would you be wiling to push forward?  Or would you make an excuse and avoid it?

Maybe it’s not a 169-step tower.  Maybe your tower is a tough conversation that you know you need to have.  Maybe it is a chance at a promotion, but will require a huge step out of your comfort zone. Maybe your tower is a diagnosis you just received and you are trying to decide whether to fight or pack it in and give up.  Maybe your tower is a true rough patch in your business that is causing you to question everything.

We all face tall towers in our lives…

And just to make sure that I don’t sugarcoat it, we will face multiple towers in the course of our days on this earth.  We will face some that are easy to climb.  We will face some that we are pretty sure we don’t have the strength to make it to the top… and then make it back down.

What I am poking at here is adversity.  And how we respond to adversity says a lot about how we will respond in the good times as well.

There is a temptation…

And that temptation is to try to go around the adversity.  To just say I am not going to climb the tower.  To not take the risk and step of faith that a new position may require.  To avoid the tough conversation and keep putting it off.  To live in denial of the diagnosis and kick it down the road as things get worse.  To do anything we can to avoid facing the reality- the tough reality- that we need to go through it instead of going around it.

So I stood at the bottom of the tower…

I am training for some hiking that I am going to be doing this summer.  And I want to be in shape for that hiking.  Hiking that will involve some significant vertical climb.  And so I have a choice.  I can avoid the tower, even though I know that the tower will help me be prepared when I am ready to hike.  Or I can stare it down and realize that the path I need to take involves that tower.  Over and over again.

I climbed the tower today…

Actually several times.  Because I knew I needed to.  And because I knew it would be there staring me down if I didn’t.  I don’t know what tower you are facing today, but I do know this- eventually you are going to have to attack it if you want to move forward.  Or else it will always be there staring you down.

If you are facing adversity today…

Let me suggest three steps to help you move forward.

1. Stop procrastinating.  The tower isn’t going to get smaller with time.  It will keep staring you down.  The best time to plant a shade tree is 20 years ago.  That is true.  But the second best time is right now.  So what is one small but significant step you can take today to move forward, to move up the tower, to go through the problem instead of going around it?  Then do it!
2. Seize the day.  There is no better time than right now to move.  Step into it.  What if today is the day to move forward?
3. Live in the moment.  Being stuck in the past or worried about the future rob us of the present moment.  Don’t pick up your phone and zone out.  Don’t avoid it.  Be present to the moment.  So you can take action.

Then, and only then, can you truly move forward…

And avoid the regret of putting it off for a day that may never come.  What is your tower?  Go climb it today!

If you need some help with the next steps on your journey, check out my coaching page.  I would love to have a conversation!

And if you want to check out this specific tower for a great workout and a great view, you can see details here.