34: BreakDOWN or BreakTHROUGH: It’s a Choice | #walkwithme

“The darkest hour is just before the dawn.” – Thomas Fuller   About This Episode:   In this episode of “#WalkWithMe” I share some inspired thoughts on how many of us are currently at a breaking point and can choose one of two directions: a breakdown or a breakthrough.    ***   For show notes, visit alivebydesign.com   *** If you enjoy the podcast, please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes. It takes less than 1 minute, and it really makes a difference in helping spread this message.

“The darkest hour is just before the dawn.”

– Thomas Fuller

About This Episode:

In this episode of “#WalkWithMe” I share some inspired thoughts on how many of us are currently at a breaking point and can choose one of two directions: a breakdown or a breakthrough. 

***

Have you or anybody you know hit that breaking point yet? There’s so much tension, pressure, confrontation and change in the air this year. Many of us view breakdowns as moments in our life when we regress, fall, go backwards, etc. And those can indeed be breaking points. 

However, I believe that a breaking point can also be when somebody breaks through, as in they overcome a threshold, set a new standard or reach a new level. They can go in one of two directions: a breakdown or a breakthrough. I want to talk about that moment many of us have had because I think during this time especially, there are opportunities and choices we have to break through. In this episode I share three specific things that can help us determine which direction we want to go. 

If you listen to the episode, you’ll hear me summarize the story of R. U. Darby about a man who during the Gold Rush traveled from Maryland to Colorado to strike it rich in gold. After a period of mining, they reached a stopping point when the gold seemed to dry up. Their positive mindset shifted to a negative state, and they quit mining, eventually returning home to Maryland. The man who purchased the equipment hired a specialist, who told them the gold had been on a fault line that had shifted three feet over. The man recalibrated his mining efforts and discovered one of the biggest gold ‘veins’ and became a wealthy tycoon. The point of the story was that Darby stopped only three feet away from gold—and lost a potential fortune.  

I shared this story because it was about a person who hit a breaking point and decided to quit due to doubt, ego, obstacles and resistance. He broke down instead of breaking through—and missed out on an incredible opportunity. 

I see so many people today who put in the effort, have the right goal and do the work, but when they don’t strike gold as quickly as they want, they get to a point when they break down. When you hit that last moment and feel like the world is caving in, it can be in that next moment when you break through. 

Here are three things to evaluate when you’re in those moments:

1 – Doubt

Doubt happens when our own negative self-talk takes over. In my opinion, doubt is the Devil’s language. It creeps in when we’re closest to achieving what we want. We need to manage the doubt. How? You got to remove yourself from your head and look around and see examples of others who have pushed through it. Surround yourself with people who build you up and push you. Get out of your head and get active. Motion creates emotion. Shift the doubt in your head. 

2 – Ego

Ego isn’t always a bad thing; it can give us confidence. But, it can also get the best of us. It becomes our enemy, making us fear failure or worry about what others think. I’ve seen so many people three feet from gold and then their ego sabotages them. Be mindful of your environment and stay away from those who feed your ego.  

3 – Resistance

I can’t explain this one scientifically, but I can tell you from experience, when we’re at our breaking point, we face the most resistance. Everything hits you at the same time. When you’re in that moment and feel like giving up, tell yourself that the world is just testing you. That’s the moment when you push through and the world will reward you. Stay the course. The greatest the challenge, the greatest the reward. Obstacles force us to push through and can be opportunities—if we’re aware of them. 

Sometimes it’s darkest right before light. So, whenever you hit a breaking point, try to minimize the doubt, surround yourself with the right people, take action, be wary of those who feed your ego, and see resistance as an opportunity. And remember that gold can be less than three feet away.