UP ON A TIGHT WIRE by ACHUCKAllen
Along with thousands of folks in New York’s Time’s Square, I watched the brother & sister team walk a tight wire, 200 feet over the busiest intersection in America Sunday evening. They started on opposite ends of the same wire and actually met in the middle as the brother stepped over the sister and then continued to walk until they reached the other side. I was exhausted by the time that they finished!
Nik Wallenda is a seventh-generation acrobat, but this time, he said he was nervous. His sister, Lijana Wallenda, joined him Sunday night for the first time since her near-fatal accident in 2017, when she broke nearly every bone in her face.
My first thought was why someone might be compelled to do such a thing and then my second thought was, dude, that’s gutsy!
If you think about it, we each walk a tight wire every single day. The uncertainty index of our lives has never been higher. We live in a world filled with hatred, mass shootings, whacked out religions that claim God told them to kill innocent people, and then there is I-285 in rush hour traffic on the north side of Atlanta. We live in an ever present uncertainty. And in this very real life, there are no cables attached to us that catch us when we fall.
I listened as the siblings encouraged one another and prayed outloud and even sang praise songs. They apparently had practiced relentlessly and seemed to be dialed in with great efficiency.
Today, I want to encourage you to dial in to a a few truths that can help you walk your tight wire. No matter how windy. No matter how many distractions are in your way, you can get dialed in to a safety and efficiency that will carry you safely to the other side of the wire.
- Get the very intentional act of gratitude into your day and get it there early. Start every day by writing down three things you are grateful for. I’ve written and said it repeatedly…when you are grateful for what you have, what you have is always enough.
- Prepare your soul for the challenges you will face by getting grounded and centered. Get grounded by getting the Holy Scriptures into your soul. God’s Word will always accomplish It’s purpose. And get centered with a brief time of guided mediatation. I’ve made both of these super easy in my Weekday Meditation Podcast and my Weekday Podcast. Both meditations are about 5 minutes a day and 5 days each week. I promise you that they will help you get grounded and centered on what matters most.
- Prioitize you energy and your time. Begin to think about the lead efforts that will pay great didvidends in the long game of life. Do those things that push you further toward your dreams and have a big payoff in there small accomplishments. And be sure to do this daily. Create a morning and evening routine that includes prioritizing both energy (when you are best physically and emotionally to tackle a task)and your time (when you must accomplish a task or meeting).
- Read! Invest 10 minutes each morning and each evening to read. Read fiction, read news, read for self development, but read! Readers are leaders and this world needs great leaders. If you read 20 minutes each day, you will have completed 20-25 books in one year.
- Determine to encourage and help someone today! Nothing puts our life in a better perspective than helping other folks in need. And nothing encourages us more than when we encourage others. It doesn’t have to be a huge undertaking, but a simple help and/or word of kindness. The world is in great need for gracious civility.
It’s okay to live on a tight wire, but we need a few tools to help us from falling and endangering ourself and others. These five small habits can and will radically help you!
Go in Peace,
AChuck
