When something gets put on our heart, it can be a hard feeling to shake, and there is a reason for that. It was placed there because it is either our destiny or our destiny leads to it. The problem is that we can get good at ignoring our destiny. We begin acting like that feeling in our heart is not there, and we do this in the name of discouragement. This read is for everyone who no longer wants to allow discouragement to take hold of their lives.
No One Said That The Path Would Be Easy
In the Matrix, Morpheus tells Neo “There is a difference between knowing the path and walking it.” I would encourage you to take some time to let that message sink into the depths of your soul.
Many people KNOW their path, but there are very few to walk through the fire to get there. Somewhere along the line of life, we started to believe a lie. The lie is that if something is your destiny it will naturally come to you and it will always be easy.
Being an athlete is a perfect example of this. You just were born with specific gifts, whether it is to run fast, throw far, or whatever other skill allows you to succeed at your sport. Here is the thing though, just because it came naturally to you does not mean you never had to struggle right? It does not say that you will never have bad coaches, disappointments or losing seasons. It merely means that you were given a hint in the direction you should go.
The same goes for anything that we do. We can’t just sit around and act like just because it has been put on our heart, that we don’t have to walk through some crap to attain our dreams.
The Struggle to Bring The Dream Alive
When I was building Kho, I quickly learned what this meant and looked like. I first had the idea when I was 18. I was in my first year at Iowa State, and I was always plagued by nasty injuries. It was frustrating, and I felt like no one had the answers and that there had to be a better way. But just because it was put on my heart does not mean I took action. I knew that I was meant to do this, but I just did not do it.
When it came down to it, I was scared, and the feedback I received from others told me that I was not good enough to do it. I was told I would fail and every other crazy reason why it was a bad idea.
Fast forward eight years and this idea are still weighing on me. Believe it, or not no one had done it either. We often doubt our ideas but convincing ourselves that someone else has already done it. The truth is that what is meant for you no one can take away. Even if someone acts on your dream, that can’t be duplicated. What makes any dream or idea unique is not the idea or the dream, but it is you.
Trials
Once I realized this, I knew it was my destiny to take action. To get to the point of launching Kho, I suffered nothing but setbacks.
– Burned 20k of my cash
– Had 30+ investors ignore or reject me
– Parted ways with three team members
– My ex-co-founder took 18 months to develop the app and got nowhere
– I alienated a lot of friendships from not listening
– We disappointed a lot of excited customers
I say all this because this is just what it took to get to launch. The question is, was it all worth it? You can bet your ass it was. The sweetest things come after the most significant struggles.
The Truth In The Cliche
I have come to learn that cliche because they are used so much for such an extended period. That is precisely what got me through the hardest of a1ll of the times. The cliche is “the desire to quit is greatest the closer you are to succeed.”
You see, it felt like the last straw for me when my co-founder quit. How can someone work on something for 18 months and then just leave? How could someone not be finished yet? So many questions swirled through my brain.
I told myself that I must not be made to do this. I can’t be a good enough leader or know how to find the right people. Started pouring in the lies on myself. Thinking the journey would be way more comfortable. It was difficult in a way I could never predict, and because of that, I was ready to quit.
Then I remembered that boring old cliche about wanting to quit the most the closest we are to making it on t succeed and you know what I did? I held on and kept pushing forward. Even though the app had to start from scratch. The previous 18 months had meant nothing. It was time to regroup and attack the dream.
Pain is a Great Instructor
Once I got through all of those rough points, it was clear that I needed to go through all of the last 18 months for a reason. The lessons could not be taught to me any other way. Pain and suffering had to be my teacher because for significant endeavors it usually is the best one.
The app is out now, so the story ended well. It was a dream come true to get the app out, but I had meant more and much larger dreams to accomplish, and I got to them right away.
I decided to write this because you can’t let discouragement stop you. Roadblocks are not a sign that you need to quit, it is a sign that you need to dig deep and push harder than ever. Once you realize this, your life will change forever.
