The muscles in my hands were starting to hurt. I had my fists clenched around the hood of my jacket pulling it down tight. The rain was pelting us as we maneuvered down the muddy farm road. Then wind was blowing hard in our face making the raindrops needle-sharp. In the darkness that evening it seemed as though even the seconds on the clock were struggling to tick by. It was a twenty minute ride out from the timber back to the trucks. It was painfully cold, we were wet, and all I could think about was getting in the truck and cranking up the heater.
We had just wrapped up a tough day duck hunting in the foggy cold rain. The cloud ceiling was so low that most of the birds were flying above the fog and we hadn’t had much success. No matter how many hours I had spent waste deep in the cold swamp, I never really noticed the cold and wet until we loaded up the ATV to head back to the trucks. The last mile is always the hardest part.
Why is it that when you are in your zone, fully engaged in your passion, no matter what your passion may be, that you can ignore obstacles and push through? But when we step out of the zone, when we become distracted, we start to notice everything that stands in our way. When you are consumed by your passion you are willing to go through almost any adversity or struggle in order to achieve your goal. When you are focused on your goal and you are chasing something that resonates with your soul, obstacles become smaller. When our focus shifts away from our pursuit we can quickly become distracted and discouraged. Often times we face our toughest challenges as we get closer to goal.
The last mile is always the hardest mile. So many times we give up on our dream or on our pursuit when the pressure intensifies. What you don’t realize is that the dream you have been chasing is within reach. The significance you desire is on the other side of the adversity you are facing. The amount of the adversity you are facing is an indicator of the greatness you can achieve. Don’t quit on the last mile!
All I could think about on that cold, wet ride was how miserable I felt. But I knew that the only way I could get out of the weather was to keep pushing on through it. If we stopped driving we would never make it back to the trucks. Even though everything in me wanted to quit, we couldn’t give up on the last mile. Each time I looked up into the driving rain I could see the lights from the barn getting closer. I knew that when we made it there we would be ok.
What dream are you chasing? What dream have you given up because the obstacles were stacked up against you? Don’t quit now. Keep pushing. The last mile is always the hardest mile. Finish strong. You’ve got what it takes. Pursue what resonates in your heart, and you will find the significance you are searching for.