Do you give in? Give up? Or push back? – SCN Encourager 10/8/2013

It helps to know what the subject is before answering.

From tighter abs to spiritual growth, Michael Hyatt highlights 11 areas that people like you and me generally struggle with on our journey to self or organizational improvement.

Usually I’m not one to be critical, but I can’t help asking why Hyatt stopped at eleven.

Roadblocks. Bottlenecks. Quagmires.

Whatever word you use for “struggles,” I could’ve listed more than a hundred of ’em before stepping into my morning shower.

Surely, if anything, I’ve proven by now that I’m an expert in foibles and fumbles.

Eleven seems like a benchmark for amateurs.

And if you threw “excuses” into the mix, I could double the size of my list speedy-kwik.

I guess I’m just a guy who can’t help “thinking big.”

Why should I limit myself to only 11 “areas of struggle” when our vast wonderful world contains so many other domains, topics, and choices that can perplex and frustrate me as well?

But this bit of personal boasting aside (sorry ’bout that), Hyatt’s blog is well worth reading despite its minimal “struggles” list.  Here it is.

You’ll notice right away that Hyatt introduces author Steven Pressfield… and that the list of 11 items we all wrestle with is actually taken from Pressfield’s research.

Pressfield’s “Gates of Fire” (re: the stand of the 300 Spartans) is one of my all-time favorite books and his writing is well-known for its aspirational elements and depth.

Hyatt’s presentation of Pressfield’s concept of “the resistance” is concise and thought-provoking.

Take it in. (I don’t send you “concise and thought-provoking” all that often, you know.)

You’ll see why Michael Hyatt is admired by so many of today’s leaders and thought influencers.

He always offers a challenge and something to reflect upon – and the three minute video of Pressfield with Oprah included in this article is a bonus.

You’ll also note that he and Pressfield list “diet and health” as #3.

It’s #1 on my list.

In this area particularly, I know I’ve got to stop “thinking so big.”

Tom Page, SCN