A couple weeks ago I started a series to deal with the stress of the grind that we’re all going through right now. You know, the stress of goals, frustrations, hopes, dreams, and our reality all coming together? That stress takes its toll on each of us as we strive to make progress toward where we believe we’re destined to go, and it’s about this time of the year that even the most dedicated of us start to lose balance or contemplate throwing in the towel. This is what I was talking about in the first GRIND DATE, and I’m going to continue on this for a few weeks before I move on to my next idea. If we’re going to push through this phase, then the first thing that will empower you is to RECOGNIZE that you’re here. You need to know where you are. Everything in life is based on a process, and the progress you’re seeking to make is just another process. There’s no magic corridor or teleporter that’s going to magically take us to our point of victory, no matter how nice that might be. With that in mind, the first step in dealing with your grind date is accepting the fact that a) it exists and b) you will have to deal with it. There are some easy signs to look out for that will help you understand that you’ve hit your grind date, so let’s just list a few of them: 1) Your routine suffers. Things that you were consistently doing start becoming “when I get a chance” phenomena. Many important things can fit this category; you can find yourself skipping meals, not sleeping enough, missing days reading your Word, or failing to knock things off your to-do list. 2) You’re not so nice. Things just are getting on your nerves more easily than normal. The cute things your wife or child normally do...you know, those things you used to laugh at? Now, you find yourself either not having time for them, or you begin to display annoyance with them. Some of the first people to notice that you’re going through a grind will be those who love you whom, all of a sudden, aren’t seeing the nice guy/gal that you usually are. And for the sake of time, we’ll end on this one... 3) Unhealthy compromise. You were so optimistic when you started this journey. You were going to walk hand-in-hand with God in all your situations, but you’ve started to lower those lofty expectations. The stress has you wanting to smoke even though you said you quit: you’re considering calling that person who you know is just a distraction, and you’ve made it okay in your own mind. When you start reasoning with yourself why you should be allowed to go back to the thing you left, then you’re in the grinder. There are other ways to know that you’re in the grind, but for now, that will have to do. Knowledge is power, and denial is the devil. If we’re going to get the monkey off our backs so we can run our best race, the first thing we have to do is recognize we’ve hit our grind date. SpitLIFE