Stubbornness, which is often seen as a negative characteristic, can also be a very positive trait. When you are convinced that something is right, or that a decision you made is the correct one, it would violate your conscience to allow yourself to be persuaded otherwise. To be stubborn in this regard means first considering other options, reviewing the facts, and being open to the possibility of there being a better way. When your mind is made up to do something, there may be obstacles in the way but being convinced and having a fixed purpose, you will persevere until your goal has been accomplished.
Once you are persuaded that you have made a good decision, in order to go the distance and successfully reach a difficult goal, you must be most stubborn with yourself. It has been said that there is nothing more powerful than a made-up mind. I made a pact with myself that when I say I am going to do something, come what may, I will stubbornly keep my word to myself. As you can image, sometimes it takes me a while to decide but going the distance is easier because I decided to finish when I started.
This discipline of keeping my word to myself has helped me in all areas of my life from health through diet and exercise, to my finances in restricting spending, and to my spiritual life in prayer and commitment to certain principles. Today is the twenty-second anniversary of my father’s death and when I think of him, I always think of him as a man of his word. When I realized the power of keeping my word to myself and others, and began disciplining my tongue, I learned that I have the power to do what I say. Today let’s make up our minds to go the distance!