Speaking of which, have you ever approached a stoplight and realized you needed to be in the other lane? You notice the long line of cars next to you and try to beat the lead car and get over, but that driver then decides you are somehow challenging him and speeds up! Or on the highway, where a person is hanging in the left lane, under the speed limit - after a few choice words, you decide to pass on the right. As you do so, the driver begins to accelerate like it has suddenly become a NASCAR event!
Although we often have this competitive spirit, sometimes we use comparisons to justify why we aren’t achieving our potential. A close friend was sharing a recent conversation he had with his son who was midway through his freshman year of college. His son’s grades at the semester did not reflect his ability. When my friend asked him why he was not achieving his potential, his son responded by saying that he was doing better than any of his friends. My friend immediately challenged his son on the measuring stick he was using to determine his potential.
I am sure this hits home with many of us who have kids, but does it also ring true for us? Do we tend to compare ourselves to those who make us look good, instead of looking at our true potential? Or, rather, do we look at where God wants us to be and then set the bar accordingly?
For me, the Bible is good reading to start the day, but I also use it as a mirror. As I read about the life of Jesus, Moses, Joseph, David, Peter and Paul, it makes me reflect on my own life and see how I measure up based on what God expects. With one exception, God did not choose perfect people to lead. He also knows we aren’t perfect. But as I continue to read, it becomes apparent He wanted people to reach beyond their current circumstances to achieve their full potential. Consider - Moses had a stutter, Peter had anger issues, Paul was self righteous, David committed adultery. Hardly perfection but, nonetheless, all were key players in God’s overall plan.
It is tempting and easy to choose a measuring stick that shows us standing tall. It is much better to stretch and reach for things that are a bit out of our comfort zone. As much as we like the easy road or take the road where the path has been cleared, we were made to reach and stretch.
When we use a standard that's based a bit less on pride or complacency, we raise the bar to a level that is just a little uncomfortable for us to reach. Our greatest accomplishments and most fulfilling achievements are those that require us to stretch beyond what we can comfortably do. It is admittedly enjoyable and easier to relax and allow the world to flow over us. However, the times when we pushed ourselves beyond our previous physical or mental limits to a new height are the times that we remember and savor. It is not the moments watching our favorite TV show or completing the crossword puzzle that give our lives purpose. Though these moments are pleasurable and necessary in the balance of life, they are not the moments that define us and give real meaning to our existence.
Leo Burnett, who founded one of the top advertising agencies in the world in Chicago in 1935, knew about extending one's limits when he developed his original logo.
He created a hand reaching for the stars to show that we can all reach for something great in life. Leo Burnett’s reason for the logo is summed up in his quote, “If you reach for the stars you may not get one but you won’t get a handful of mud either.” I love this image of the hand reaching. It is simple and profound. It makes us think of reaching for something new and exciting; reaching for a new level. We often settle for what we have or stay where we are for fear that if we reach for something new, we may not attain it.I know that I have settled so many times in my life because I was afraid to get out of my comfort zone. I was afraid of what people would think if I failed to achieve my goal. It is hard to let go of what you have in order to reach for something new. We set the bar at a level that is comfortable and then stay at that level to avoid the potential pain of not achieving a new goal.
Recently, my sister was chosen to lead a new group in her company. She was quite comfortable where she was and had been doing an outstanding job. As good bosses will do, her boss saw an opportunity to improve a new store by bringing her there to manage. Her initial feeling was one of discomfort and unease. She was doing a great job and was achieving the level of her already-respectable measuring stick, but now her boss decided to raise the bar.
As with my friend confronting his son, or my sister’s boss, or God with His "overachievers," there are times when others raise the bar for us. They see potential in us that we just don’t see. It feels like being thrown into the deep end of a pool when you've just learned to swim. We have those thoughts of, “I’m not sure if I can do this” or “I was just getting comfortable where I was.”
We all need to stretch and it is this place of discomfort that allows us to reach a new height. As with growing pains in a child, there can be pain associated with stretching to achieve your potential. But God designed us for growth. He gave us the capacity for growth in different areas of our lives - physical, mental and spiritual. It doesn’t mean that we have to stretch ourselves in every area of our lives all the time. It does mean, however, that if you aren’t trying to reach a new level in some area of your life, you will feel an emptiness or hollowness.
Many of us feel this hollowness and we try to fill it in our own ways. Maybe we spend too much time in front of the television or we reach for alcohol or we give in to extra-marital affairs. These tend to momentarily deaden our unfulfilled feeling or temporarily fill our hollowness but afterward we realize the hole is still there. Like eating a bag of chips - they satisfy our taste buds with the first few bites, but they don’t sustain us. Each additional chip is a little less satisfying than the last and, in the end, they lack the nutrition that our bodies need. So we remain unsatisfied in some respect even when the bag is empty.
Raising the bar to achieve a new level has so many benefits besides just the exhileration of going into unchartered waters. In fact, this reaching and striving may be the very "fountain of youth" that so many have sought over the years. It is true that, as we age, our physical capabilities decline. But there is always a new goal to attempt, no matter our age. New goals and new bars over which to jump can give us a youthful energy that we can't find anywhere else.
Recently, my sister was chosen to lead a new group in her company. She was quite comfortable where she was and had been doing an outstanding job. As good bosses will do, her boss saw an opportunity to improve a new store by bringing her there to manage. Her initial feeling was one of discomfort and unease. She was doing a great job and was achieving the level of her already-respectable measuring stick, but now her boss decided to raise the bar.
As with my friend confronting his son, or my sister’s boss, or God with His "overachievers," there are times when others raise the bar for us. They see potential in us that we just don’t see. It feels like being thrown into the deep end of a pool when you've just learned to swim. We have those thoughts of, “I’m not sure if I can do this” or “I was just getting comfortable where I was.”
We all need to stretch and it is this place of discomfort that allows us to reach a new height. As with growing pains in a child, there can be pain associated with stretching to achieve your potential. But God designed us for growth. He gave us the capacity for growth in different areas of our lives - physical, mental and spiritual. It doesn’t mean that we have to stretch ourselves in every area of our lives all the time. It does mean, however, that if you aren’t trying to reach a new level in some area of your life, you will feel an emptiness or hollowness.
Many of us feel this hollowness and we try to fill it in our own ways. Maybe we spend too much time in front of the television or we reach for alcohol or we give in to extra-marital affairs. These tend to momentarily deaden our unfulfilled feeling or temporarily fill our hollowness but afterward we realize the hole is still there. Like eating a bag of chips - they satisfy our taste buds with the first few bites, but they don’t sustain us. Each additional chip is a little less satisfying than the last and, in the end, they lack the nutrition that our bodies need. So we remain unsatisfied in some respect even when the bag is empty.
Raising the bar to achieve a new level has so many benefits besides just the exhileration of going into unchartered waters. In fact, this reaching and striving may be the very "fountain of youth" that so many have sought over the years. It is true that, as we age, our physical capabilities decline. But there is always a new goal to attempt, no matter our age. New goals and new bars over which to jump can give us a youthful energy that we can't find anywhere else.
There are areas in our lives that require us to stretch, regardless of our age or position. Whether at the beginning of our endeavors or in the stride of our career. Whether we are on the downside of a career or in retirement, we need to stretch ourselves for growth. We have to find an area of our lives to raise the bar. Growth can and must happen from the day we are born until we take our last breath. Without this striving, life loses its zest and meaning. So wherever you are in life, raise the bar! You may not clear it every time. But if you take a risk, maybe you will do Leo Burnett one better - Reach for the stars. Even if you don't get them, you just may come down with the moon!
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