Expect the Attacks to Get It Done Anyway

Expect the attacks because they will come – and they always show up when you least expect them. Prepare to deal with the sneak attacks, direct attacks, and carpet swiping attacks, then you will be able to keep the hope when the attacks show up.

And they will show up.

Watch today’s #GrowingHOPE

We live in a chaotic world. Occasionally the chaos rolls over into our yard, whether we want it there or not. Hope keeps the focus on possibility living, but it also builds up a barrier to protect our hearts and minds when the attacks come.

Hope makes a way, and making a way makes room for more hope to grow.

At the beginning of the year, I set a plan for my writing. Just when I thought it would all come together, the whole world fell apart. Suddenly, my husband and son were home all day (and using the internet bandwidth for school), and we were encouraged to “shelter at home.”

None of that was in my plan.

So, I put my head down and pushed forward. I knew what I wanted to do. I was willing to be flexible in my focus, but stopping was not an option.

On Easter, a tornado landed on our house, crushing my office and all the equipment in its path. We survived, and I had the presence of mind to store Bibles, laptops, and external hard drives in the dryer before we hiked out of the destruction to the neighbors’ house to wait out the morning.

Those items only received a little bit of water damage. We could still use them, but I could tell they weren’t happy. For the next seven weeks, we holed up in a hotel room, waiting for the next step.

I still have a plan, and I about threw my back out trying to accommodate my focused flexibility. But I adjusted, took a step, and kept stepping.

When you are determined to get it done,  you will find a way to get it done. When you determine not to get it done, you will find a reason not to get it done.

Again, we are back to choices.

I had to choose to keep going no matter what came at me. Life is not always as challenging as a tornado in the middle of a quarantine. Sometimes it’s more challenging. No matter what happens, if you expect the attacks and prepare yourself with hope and focused flexibility, then you will find your way to keep going regardless of the attacks.

Expect the Attacks

• From the weather – despite all the advances in science, the weather still has a way of catching us off guard. Have a plan for dealing with those bad weather attacks and learn some new tricks from others (like using your dryer for storage and your washer full of ice for a cooler).
• From technology – because it has a way of giving way just when you need it the most. Invest in backups and backups for the backups. You may also want to consider having off-site storage for your important content so you can access that content even if you have no access to your electronics. Be sure to keep your passwords handy, so you can access that off-site storage.
• From people – never put your reliance on people because people will let you down (and you are people, by the way). People make mistakes. People can be mean. Sometimes people don’t know any better. Whatever the reason, attacks can come from people, so practice patience and grace to prepare for those attacks.
• From circumstance – when you think you’ve got it all together, something will cause the middle to move, and you’ll have to start over. Or, if you have focused flexibility, you may just have to take a jump to the left . . . and then step to the right.

Things happen. Believe me, things happen.

In case you needed more proof that things will happen, as I was writing this article, our landlord came down to check a spot on the ceiling downstairs. He cut a hole in the ceiling to find what was making the spot. And then he moved up to the bedroom to cut a hole in the closet to see the pipes from the bathroom. And now he’s vacuuming the debris in the hole to determine what’s leaking.

Because the attacks are going to come.

What will you do when things don’t go the way you expected? If you expect the attacks, then you’ll be better prepared to practice focused flexibility and keep going.

# # # #

Catch up on all of this week’s #GrowingHOPE series

11-2-2020 Practice Helps You See Hope in the Chaos

11-3-2020 Find Your Ways for Setting Aside Comparisons

11-4-2020 Dare to See Beyond Expectations to Grow HOPE

 

# # #

Harness Your Why to Find Your Way to Expect the Attacks

If you want to harness your why and control the direction of your journey you will have to step out of where you are in the moment. The only way to go anywhere is to move from here. Click below to learn more or to get started today.