With Change Comes Challenge

With every change come a corresponding challenge. Big changes come with big challenges. I'm reminded of this with my most recent road trip.

I live in League City. It's between Houston and Galveston. For our Christmas break, we decided to take a trip to New Mexico. That's over 750 miles one way. Over 12 hrs of driving. We also have 3 kids.

Now it you're a parent, you're already nodding your head. But if you aren't, kids, particularly 3 and 6 year olds, start unraveling after 3 hours in a car ride. If we're honest, they start unraveling as soon as they get in the car but it's bearable for those first 3 hours. It helps when there's scenery. The thing is, after Houston, there's not much scenery between Houston and San Antonio. Just a lot of flat lands and rolling hills. Not much obvious change.

It reminds me of my weight loss journey. I made a change, a resolution. I decided things will be different! I hit the road of life with new habits!

But after a while, I realized none of my scenery was changing. I wasn't losing the weight I thought I should be. My willpower started to unravel. My are we there yet' wasn't getting there yet quick enough. I begin to question whether what I was doing worked...

There were many times in the past where I'd give up. Told myself it is not worth it. The landscape isn't changing. It'll never change. I'm just stuck. Ever felt stuck? Ever felt like you were going no where even with your wheels spinning?

This trip resonated with me. An impossible task, a 12 hour car ride with 3 kids. Other people have done it before. Other people have even gone further that this and survived! But we're not all Fords. we aren't from an assembly line. We weren't all made the same. These other people may had kids who knew how to road trip. My kids? Yeah right. But it still had to get done.

My wife and I planned a strategy to keeping the kids pacified and us sane. She saw a things I missed. I saw thing she missed. Together we blueprinted a far superior game plan together then we could have on our own. How many times in the past has pride prevented me from seeking another's perspective?

That's the beauty of us all not being the same. We see things from different angles. When we compare our views, a bigger picture emerges. I discovered the same effect in my smoking cessation and my weight loss. When I began to seek out other views was I able to find hidden paths.

The thing is, we could of figured out better plans eventually but how many times would we go through trials and errors? On that note, how many time are you willing to go through the same trials to find solutions to your errors? How much better would it be to learn from the errors of others? How much better would it be to learn from their successes too?

It's important to use wisdom from your past but for significant success, we must leverage the wisdom of others. That's why it's some important to be in a community of like minded individuals.

The thing is, being in a community isn't enough. You have to engage with that community. Sure Wallflowering feels safe but will rarely help anyone. In fact, it usually retards progress. If you're in a group, engage in it. Ask questions, share stories, commune.

The size also matters. Too big and noise overtakes true conversations. There's not much time to stick to an issue.

Small, intimate, micro communities are the best. I'm talking about at the most 10 engaged members all excited to help each other succeed.

That's what I'm looking to build. A small micro community of friends eager to help each other succeed. A place were you don't have to worry about being vulnerable. A place you know others will invest in your success.

A group which will last for a few weeks but will develop relationships which will last a lifetime. If you're interested in something like that, let me know. Space is limited.