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The Content Ambitious Man: Reconciling Faith and Ambition

I. Introduction

A. The Average Religious Guy Wants to Convice you That Amibtion and Faith are opposing forces.

The only problem is that this philosophy is dead wrong. The average person looking to place faith and ambition in opposition is just looking for an excuse to justify his personal failures.

“If I’m not successful and you are, the only reason is because I’m more spiritual than you are! You must be really worldly to have amassed all that worldly success”.

Just like these men do when they purport the Poverty Gospel, they must demonize ambition and worldly success as well.

Their only choice to make themselves feel better is to make the issue of success a moral one. The fastest way for religious people to claim the high ground is to take an amoral position and convert it into a moral one.

By doing so they make their necessity a virtue.

B. People are more successful now than ever.

Even people who are “failures” are more successful than people have ever been in history, financially speaking. They may not have the drive or personal success, but they have money that civilizations past could only dream of.

This is just like the poverty gospel where even the “poor” have more material wealth than the wealthy would have had just a few hundred years ago, let alone when the Bible was being written.

There is no room for anyone to babble on when it comes to success, failure, and ambition. Even people with no ambition have luxuries that the hardest-working businessmen couldn’t have dreamed of in centuries past.

C. Thesis statement: Contrary to the false philosophy of the poverty gospel, contentment, and ambition are not mutually exclusive but rather complement each other.

Colossians 3:23 is the key biblical text supporting this idea.

II. Understanding the False Philosophy of the Poverty Gospel

A. You already know what the poverty gospel is. It’s the envious idea that people who have wealth are automatically evil. It has no rationality behind it, or any validity in reality, but nevertheless, it is popular in religious circles. Including the religions of environmentalism and socialism.

Religious people desperately need wealth and faith to be opposing forces so that they can justify their lack of wealth to themselves.

But it’s all relative – again reflect on centuries past and you will see the poor today have unimaginable luxuries compared to the people of the past.

B. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Job, and Joseph – Content Ambitious Men

The Bible describes Abraham as a man rich in livestock silver and gold [Gen 13:2].

Now is Abraham evil because of his wealth?
Is he a bad guy because he amassed possessions in this material world?

No, we know that is not the case. We know it is possible to be Spiritual and wealthy at the same time. The two are not opposed. And Abraham’s is a great example of that.

What about Isaac [Gen 26:12-13]? He followed in his father’s footsteps and became so wealthy that he was the envy of the Land. Was this man materialistic and evil because he amassed so much wealth and possessions that he made other people feel bad? He hurt their feelings with how successful he is, but he would still be righteous.

Jacob followed the example of his father and his father before him [Gen 30:43]. Amassing possessions to the point of “excessive wealth”.

Did that possession make him evil? No.
Was he able to be righteous despite wealth? Absolutely.

Perhaps the most striking example is Job. This is a man whose story opens with an outline of his possessions, and of his character. Here is a man whose character is made more important because of his wealth. He is more impressive because despite having more money than everyone around him, he is still a righteous and just man.

Though He would lose all these possessions, he would maintain God as his priority. He never lost focus on God because he was a righteous man. And he was rewarded with double the possessions that he had before.

The faith of each of these men is not negative because of their wealth, but rather it is made more impressive.

Almost anyone can be righteous while they are poor. Give them a little money or a little power and they will show you who they truly are.

III. The Essence of Colossians 3:23: “Doing All as Unto the Lord”

A. Colossians 2:23 tells us clearly and succinctly that the attitude we should have while working is that we are actually working for the Lord.

This mentality helps us to maintain integrity in work. We might steal from our fellow man, but would we steal from Christ?

Additionally, it gives us permission to work with intensity and work to be successful.

If you were to work as if you were working for God and not your “stupid boss”, wouldn’t you be more successful? I would argue that you would be very successful at least within your own character.

B. By working for the Lord, you may start to find contentment in life.

Your job may be boring, and your co-workers may be annoying, but what your hands have found to do can be something that you honor God by doing.

C. Colossians 3:23 dispels the popular myth that if I’m working hard in the material world, I must be worldly.

No, we have a biblical admonition to work hard in the secular workplace. Therefore faith and ambition cannot be opposed.

IV. The Complementary Nature of Contentment and Ambition

A. Many have difficulty because their ambition overrides their ability to have peace.

They are so hungry to be successful that they cannot be peaceful anymore. I have been in that boat many times, so I understand the argument.

But since there is a biblical admonition to work and provide valuable service, and there is also a biblical admonition to be content, we know that both must be true.

God would not ask people to do things that are impossible or mutually exclusive. Therefore in some way, it must be possible to be content and ambitious.

When used correctly, ambition and contentment can have a symbiotic relationship, but it all depends on your mentality.

Attitude is always the key.

The key is that both your contentment and your ambition must exist in the present moment.

When you look into the future constantly or look constantly outside yourself at what you don’t have, you will find it hard to be content.

Also if you are constantly focused on the outcome of your ambition, it will be difficult to be content.

Rather you need to be ambitious for the present moment. Release your need to control the outcome, or the results, of your ambition.

When ambition exists right now, it is powerful. When I become ambitious for the present moment I can concentrate on the work right in front of me. And I can focus on doing the best I can right now. That is present-focused ambition.

And this present focus creates peace. Living in the past or present creates anxiety. But anxiety has a hard time living in the present.

When my goal is to work for the Lord and not for men, but I am content no matter the final results of my work – I am a content ambitious man.

I love goals and I am chasing outcomes in my life. So in no way am I suggesting you not have goals, plans, or things you are pursuing. But what you must do is what the ship captain does. He pulls out his map, marks the port he is sailing to, puts the map away, and sets sail, focusing on the process of sailing rather than an obsession with the port he is sailing to.

So be sure to have goals, but once you set your goals, put them away. Glance at them from time to time to check progress and course correct if you are going the wrong way. But do not obsess over how long it is taking to get there or how difficult it is. You must exist in the present.

The way to be the content ambitious man is to ground your ambition and contentment in the present moment.

Be ambitious for “the now”.

Concentrate that focus on the present and let go of your need to control the outcome. Trying to control the results is a surefire way to create anxiety in your life.

Where contentment provides peace amidst challenges, and ambition drives growth and progress.

V. Contentment: A Foundation for Healthy Ambition

Contentment is “present-oriented”. You are content when you look at what you have right now and are at peace with it. You are not looking outside yourself and generating envy for what you don’t have. You simply have peace with what you do have.

Contentment, therefore, is the foundation for ambition. As you ground yourself in the present to be content, you then. Have a good starting point to “leash” your ambition. Not that you are limiting yourself, setting small goals, or avoiding challenges and work – but you “leash” your ambition to the present. That will give you greater peace.

If you are struggling with contentment it could be because you are missing out on gratitude. A simple but effective technique to work on this is to make a gratitude list. You’ve likely heard about that a million times, and it almost seems silly to talk about, but for greater contentment, count your blessings – have gratitude. We sing the hymn “Count your many blessings“, but how few of us do this?

The gratitude list brings your blessings into your awareness. We forget about everything we have because it falls out of our awareness and we become accustomed to it. But activate your attention spotlight and point it at your blessings and you will realize how well off you are.

B. Without grounding in the present moment, ambition will be hollow.

Has nothing to control it, and it will run wild. You will become obsessed with outcomes and rob yourself of the pleasure of the process.

Many make the mistake of thinking that if they are content and thankful for what they have, they will become less hard-working and less ambitious. That will only happen if your ambition is future-oriented. Turn the fiery focus of your ambition to the present. Align it with the now, and you will have the same burning drive you have always had, and it will be directed into a moment that brings you greater peace – the present moment.

Ambition that is future-oriented, and that is detached from the present moment will create unnecessary pain through greed. There is nothing wrong with working to gain material things. But without gratitude or a present focus, it becomes a hollow obsession that drains the joy from the process

VI. Ambition: An Expression of Faith

Ambition, when aligned with God’s statutes for wealth management, becomes an expression of faith and obedience through proper stewardship of talents and resources. Faith is action-based. Taking action in the direction of our goals does not mean we lack faith in God to provide for us. That is the type of mentality that results from perverting the teachings of the Bible.

God has always expected His people to take action. Each man is personally responsible for his own life and must act according to [Ezk. 18:20] This applies in every avenue of man’s walk: from religion to profession, to health, to finance.

A Man’s task is to row his own boat without expecting God to do all the heavy lifting.

Conclusion & Key Takeaways

The content-ambitious man exists. It is possible to be both content and ambitious at the same time.

Misconception of Faith and Ambition: Some suggest faith and ambition oppose each other, attributing success to spirituality over worldly achievement. This is a fallacy used to justify personal failures.
Success: Relative and Multifaceted: Even “failures” today possess more material wealth than historical civilizations. The poverty gospel notion and demonizing ambition are attempts to morally justify the lack of success.
Biblical Examples: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Job, and Joseph amassed wealth without compromising their righteousness. Their faith and abundance coexisted, showcasing that spirituality and material success aren’t mutually exclusive.
Colossians 3:23: Encourages working for the Lord, promoting integrity, intensity, and permission for ambition in the secular world. This dispels the myth that striving for success in the material realm equates to worldliness.
Contentment and Ambition Synergy: Balancing ambition and contentment is possible. Grounding ambition in the present moment fosters peace. Being present-focused on ambition while releasing the need to control outcomes cultivates content ambition.
Contentment as Foundation: Contentment, rooted in gratitude and present awareness, acts as the base for healthy ambition. A gratitude list can enhance contentment by highlighting one’s blessings.
Ambition Aligned with Faith: Ambition, when guided by biblical principles of stewardship and faith, aligns with proper wealth management. It expresses obedience through action while acknowledging personal responsibility.
Taking Personal Responsibility: Faith doesn’t absolve individuals from taking action in their lives. Man is accountable and must actively engage in all aspects of life, including religion, profession, health, and finance.

A Peculiar People – What does the Bible mean?

What does the Bible mean when it describes Christians as a “peculiar people”?

It doesn’t mean we eat weird food, wear strange clothes, and participate in outlandish rituals.

People mistake the appearance of peculiarity for the thing that caused the peculiarity.

Religious people frequently get into the habit of mistaking how something looks for how something actually is.

They mistake the appearance of Kingly stature for someone’s fitness to be King like Samuel did [1 Samuel 16:6].

Or they mistake the size of enemy forces like Elijah’s servant did [2 Kings 6:14-18].

In the modern day, we mistake the appearance of religiousness or purity for the actual thing.

We should try to get in the habit of not believing everything we see – because our personal perception can cloud reality. Just because people look religious does not mean they truly are.

This happens frequently with a discussion of peculiar people. What does this mean?

The mistake most religious people make is mistaking the peculiarity itself for religion.

They think the weirdness itself is the goal. That if they stand out from the rest of the crowd, they are “doing religion right”.

This is the farthest thing from reality. And it is why so many of us are confused by what we see.

Many people make these mistakes in judgment.

Some mistake a college degree for education or value – but the value is in the skill and knowledge that degree allegedly represents.
Some mistake knowing for understanding.

Peculiarity should be a byproduct of the Christian lifestyle, not a direct goal.

The goal is not to go out in the world purposefully acting weird. The purpose is to simply obey God and we will automatically look strange for that. Remember that the text says they will think that it is strange that you do not run with them in the same flood of dissipation [1 Peter 4:4].

We are not running out, making it our goal to be weird people. We are simply doing what is right, and by virtue, of obeying the commandments of God, we look strange compared to the rest of the world.

When the Bible describes Christians as a peculiar people it means that by the way we act, we will stand out from the world.

People mistake this all the time and think that we just need to purposefully act weird or purposefully act religious. They think we need to use weird language and try to stand out.

Standing out from the crowd is not the primary goal – there are many non-biblical ways to stand out from the crowd. It is simply a byproduct of living a Christian lifestyle when we live the way the Bible outlines.

The main point is easy to understand. If you obey the Bible you will be weird enough, There’s no need to make yourself weirder by fabricating religious rituals, behaviors, or language to use out in the world.

If you practice sexual discipline, avoid using profanity, don’t drink, don’t use illicit drugs repay evil with good, and act with kindness towards people around you, then you will be one of the strangest people in this world. No one behaves that way. It is odd.

The people those the world look to maximize their personal pleasure, drink, enjoy drugs, use profanity, repay evil with evil, and cheat and steal at everything they do. That is not the Christian path. Though the Christian stumbles and falls, he still works to live within the confines of the word of God. That is what makes him a peculiar person.

20 Bible Verses About Lust

The Bible has a great deal to say about the idea of lust. It appears multiple times in scripture, and we are wanted countless times to avoid it. Lust goes beyond the sexual, though that is the realm where it likely has the most power.

If you are at war with lust – which as men with free circulating testosterone is almost certainly the case – then these passages of scripture may help you in your war. Remember that when Christ faces temptation from the devil in Matthew 4, He responds to temptation with the words of scripture – because those words are weapons.

1 John 2:16: “For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world.”

The three types of lust are identified here. We lust with our eyes after things we want, after things that are beautiful. This lust goes hand in hand with the lust of the flesh, where our body literally craves something powerfully. Maybe this is a natural desire like sex, but because it is challenged in the wrong direction towards women who are not our wives, it becomes a sin and a snare. Then the pride of life is a lust for things of this world that make us feel powerful, and reduce our trust in God. We can earn things of this world, but when they become idols and the tools by which we elevate ourselves in the minds of other men, this becomes a massive problem.

Matthew 5:28: “But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”

Christ addresses adultery at its root. Christ understands our psychology, that whatever we think about we eventually do. Thoughts become things. God in the flesh knew this better than anyone. So He gives us this instruction to correct the thought, so we never have to suffer the consequence of the “thing”.

Christ is not making the command more difficult, He is making our lives easier by instructing us to pull up the sin at the root so we don’t have to worry about what happens when it becomes a full-grown tree.

Galatians 5:16: “I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.”

Spiritual matters are our primary concern while we live this life. We do not always act this way, We forget the importance of God and our role as Christians and as men. But the antidote for this is to saturate the mind in spiritual matters. That is what is meant by the word “Spirit” here. We are to be involved with and fully saturated in spiritual matters of life so that we do not idolize and worship the physical.

James 1:14: “But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.”

James outlines a critical component of temptation. We learn here that much of our temptation comes from our own mind. The devil doesn’t even have to spend time tempting us, we are drawn away by our own thoughts. This is another reason to control our thoughts at the root before we allow ourselves to be the passive income of the devil.

Colossians 3:5: “Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.”

The root of several of these sins is sexual in nature. The first three and arguably four items on this list revolve around the lusts of the flesh that we are commanded to control. Not only are we to control them, but we are to put them to death. We are to enact spiritual violence on our sin – kill it. Kill the old way of living. Literally “make dead” is what the original language says in this scripture. It’s an admonition for spiritual violence because that is what is required to purge sin.

2 Timothy 2:22: “Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.”

Why are lusts identified as youthful? Ask any older man and you’ll quickly find out that the struggle with lust does not end with age. It still requires that you go to war.

But it seems that there are certain things that are more tempting to different age groups. Just because youthful lusts are identified here does not mean there is no such thing as lust for older people [remember not all lust is sexual]. And recall that in this instance Paul is writing to Timothy who is a young man at the time – and as such he is still warring with the sins that young men war with.

1 Corinthians 10:6: “Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted.”

Paul is writing about the Old Testament scripture. We learn from the examples of the OT not to chase the same things or categories of things that the Israelites chased after. We saw how it turned out for them, and we have a responsibility to avoid that sin for ourselves.

1 Thessalonians 4:5: “Not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God.”

There is a separation between people who know God and people who do not know God. One of the key differences involves lustful action. There should be a difference between Christians and the godless people of the world. But how often do we act as if there were no difference at all?

1 Peter 2:11: “Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul.”

This is one of my favorite passages because it outlines the critical role of spiritual warfare and the psychomachy of the human experience. You won’t always want to serve God with your whole being. Your mind and spirit want to serve God but your flesh has become your enemy.

It is acceptable to have this civil war inside yourself. You will engage in it till the day you die, with victory some days and defeat other ways. But you must always get back up and reengage the enemy.

2 Peter 2:14: “Having eyes full of adultery and that cannot cease from sin, enticing unstable souls. They have a heart trained in covetous practices, and are accursed children.”

An incredible passage from Peter indicates that some people have trained their eyes on ungodly practices. Here he talks about adultery. Because of the focus of their eyes, they cannot cease from sin. Where the eyes go the body follows. They are trained in sinful behavior. This is not the way we are to be.

Proverbs 6:25: “Do not lust after her beauty in your heart, nor let her allure you with her eyelids.”

A very practical proverb written about an adulterous woman: adultery sounds like a great idea when our mind and thoughts are concentrated on the sex act itself. But what happens after the orgasm? We don’t think about that moment.

When the dust settles and the rational mind returns to the man who just had an affair – what is left of that soul? What guilt and sadness rest in the soul of that man? Perhaps none, if he has so seared his conscience. But perhaps there is much guilt and shame because this man did not think far in advance. He did not foresee evil and correct his actions. Led by his libido, he made a decision he would live with forever.

Don’t even fall into the trap of these women. And there are plenty of them in the world.

Romans 6:12: “Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts.”

We commit sins as human beings. But we must immediately purge that sin from our lives as it enters. Lust wants you to do what it says, but you have to resist it. Go to war with it. Purge it.

Titus 2:12: “teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age.”

The wrong way to live is to allow worldly lusts into our minds and lives. But instead, we are to deny them. There is a denial, which means that lust and sin are making a request of us and we have to turn it down. This is demanding. The Christian lifestyle is demanding. But it can be done. Deny ungodliness.

2 Samuel 11:2: “Then it happened one evening that David arose from his bed and walked on the roof of the king’s house. And from the roof he saw a woman bathing, and the woman was very beautiful to behold.”

This is the key moment at which David fell. What he saw with his eyes led to a new picture that he saw with his mind. And marinading on that mental picture he would alter inquire about Bathsheba and take her as his own.

It started with a look.

1 Timothy 6:9: “But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition.”

This is an example of a non-sexual lust. At least not directly sexual. Who doesn’t want more money and possessions in their lives? It becomes difficult to have those things while serving God first and foremost. It can be done, as evidenced by Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Job – but the spiritual life must be correct first and foremost.

Genesis 3:6: “So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate.”

All three lusts are mentioned in this verse. It looked good – the lust of the eyes. It would please the flesh – the lust of the flesh. And it would make one wise – the pride of life. These things together made this the trifecta of temptation. Most sin falls into one or all of these three categories. And we have to resist all three.

Psalm 81:12: “So I gave them over to their own stubborn heart, to walk in their own counsels.”

Ephesians 4:19: “Who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.”

At a certain point of living in the flesh and in lust, we can become past feelings. That is a state of affairs. To be so far beyond feeling that we give ourselves completely over to the lusts of the world. It happens frequently – so we have to be ready for it and fight against it to prevent it from ever getting to that point.

Job 31:1: “I have made a covenant with my eyes; why then should I look upon a young woman?”

This is one of the key texts of the Old Testament. And what a statement reflecting the character of Job. Who would do this today? A promise with the eyes, a covenant with them. This is what we must all do as men.

2 Corinthians 7:1: “Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.”

Filthiness of the flesh frequently refers to sexual sin in the Bible. It’s one of the things we are repeatedly told to cleanse ourselves of. This is a difficult cleansing and it has been so for all time. But it is possible.

Plant these verses deeply in your mind and use them for war against lust.

Don’t Be Productive – Be Progressive

The word “progressive” is generally associated with some sort of ideology. People are “religiously progressive” if they think there is more leniency allowed in worship than what is dictated by the Bible.

People are politically progressive when they think more liberal policies would lead to favorable outcomes, though those outcomes are rarely specified. We are not talking about being politically or religiously progressive.

We are talking about being personally progressive.

What we mean is that you should be obsessed with making progress in your life, not with mere producing. Especially when what the average person is producing is mediocrity on a mass scale.

You have to question what you are producing. What are you building that brings value to the community around you? When you are being productive, it literally means you are producing something. Well, is what you are producing valuable? Are you making progress towards a goal with what you are producing? If not, you are likely wasting your time.

Not everything that is produced has value. Many people work four years in university to produce a degree, but that does not mean the degree has value. The same applies to the professors at these universities. They produce hundreds of graduates year after year. But what are those graduates [the products] worth? Are the professors producing graduates of value? I would argue that the average professor is not producing valuable graduates. They are producing entitled children with minimal skill and limited knowledge of how a functional society operates.

You need to make sure you are actually progressing toward a goal.

Learn to measure yourself. Track what you are producing as well as your progress toward your goals. If you are making progress, good, keep going. If not, make some course corrections and start being progressive. Tracking progress is one of the key factors in being progressive. If you know where you are and where you are going, you can track and measure progress over time. So be sure you have your goal in mind. Then set out to achieve it through progressive productivity.

Turning Challenges into Opportunities

Many people become discouraged when they hit obstacles. But they would be much better off if they could learn to savor and celebrate those obstacles in their lives. Appreciate them for what they are – chances to build internal strength.

Those who learn to savor and celebrate obstacles are better equipped to achieve lasting success. They do not shy away from difficulties but confront them head-on with aggression, knowing that each obstacle conquered is a testament to their power.

Everyone knows how to think lofty thoughts and make big goals. But so often we hit one or two delays in our course of action then give up and quit. Instead, we should see these obstacles as gifts, celebrate, and push through them just slightly.

We celebrate because we know that when others hit these same obstacles, they quit. But when we hit those same obstacles, we press just a few steps farther.

In the relentless pursuit of our goals and dreams, obstacles often stand as formidable barriers along our path. It’s a shared human experience to encounter discomfort and adversity during this journey, and too often, people let these challenges deter them from continuing their pursuit. However, a better perspective is one that suggests using these obstacles as metrics of progress and strength.

When we encounter discomfort or adversity in any endeavor, it is a pivotal moment to get excited. Why? Because this is precisely the point where most individuals decide to quit.

They see the discomfort as a sign to turn back, abandon their goals, and settle for mediocrity. However, this is where the true opportunity lies. By shifting our mindset and viewing discomfort as an indicator of our progress, we can harness its power to propel us forward.

Every obstacle, and every moment of discomfort, is a milestone in our process of personal development. It’s a marker that signifies our growth and resilience. When we feel that resistance, it’s a signal that we are on the verge of breaking through to a higher level of achievement. By pushing ourselves just one percent beyond this point, we not only demonstrate our strength but also position ourselves significantly farther ahead than the majority of people who choose to quit.

With this perspective, obstacles cease to be hindrances; they become our allies and guides. They are the markers of our commitment, determination, and fortitude. They serve as proof that we are on the right path and that we are advancing toward our goals while most others falter. Instead of fearing discomfort, we should embrace it as a sign that we are on the cusp of something extraordinary.

By definition, you only have to be better than 50% of people in order to be better than most people in any given pursuit.

If 50% is the point of “being average” anything beyond that point is “above average”, just as anything below it is “below average”.

Now do not allow this to go to your head. You are not more valuable than others, you are simply farther ahead. And you have gotten farther than others have simply by not quitting as early as they do.

All the rewards and accomplishments that men receive lay beyond the point where the majority of the population gives up.

You need to fix in your mind a higher goal, however. You likely need to be farther than 75% of people in order to begin to reap the highly valuable rewards in life.

What are things that 75% of people are not willing to do?
What is the point where 75% of people have given up?

You may not be able to identify this point, but just try to assess it and get in the ballpark. If you can be one of the best 25 men in a group of 100, you are a man of value.

Use any obstacles you encounter as valuable resistance for growth – it is the mental exercise that will allow you to conquer future difficulties with ease, paradoxically.

Each obstacle you encounter is a chance to grow strong. It is a “life set”. You have sets of exercises that you complete in the gym against resistance to grow physically stronger. What you are facing during difficulty is a “life set”, during which you struggle against resistance in order to grow stronger. Greater power can be found in viewing these obstacles simply as resistance to overcome with the appropriate amount of effort.

And remember that you only need to give slightly more resistance to the obstacle than it gives you. Just like in the gym: in order to lift 100 pounds, you need to generate 101 pounds of force. If 100 pounds is pressing against you, you need to press up with 101 pounds in order to move the resistance in the opposite direction. While you are generating more force, there is no movement of the weight from 0-100 pounds of force. It is only once you exceed the force of the weight pressing down on you that it starts to move.

If you can change your life perspective and view obstacles the same way you view lifting weights, you will be infinitely more powerful. Because we look at resistance in the gym as the pathway to growth. Why not do the same with each and every obstacle we face? That is the method by which you make every obstacle a celebration.

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