If I were to walk down the street and ask people who their enemy is, my guess is they would say that they have no enemies.
Think about it. If I asked you who your enemy is, you would most likely take the high road and say you have none. But I don’t think that’s true. I think it’s fairly common to have an enemy or two. But why are we apt to deny having an enemy?
The problem is that when we think of “enemies,” we think of people. People who possess things that we do not have, people who we don’t get along with, or people we feel have wronged us in some way.
The definition of an enemy is, "a person who is actively opposed or hostile to someone or something." With this definition I can see why the thought of enemies scares people. Most of us don't like conflict, and enemies by their very nature presume conflict.
But what if our enemies are not people? Perhaps there is something more. When you dig deeper into the definition, you see that an enemy can also be a thing that harms or weakens
something else.
So, we should rephrase the question from earlier – not who is your enemy, but what is your enemy? This question makes you think critically about what is standing in the way of getting what you want.
When you discover what your true enemy is then you will be able to marshal all your forces and fight it. Enemies are strong and they don't go away easily. They are a force that have taken many people down. For you to win this fight you need to recognize the enemy, address it, and then fight it.
To be a great leader, one of the biggest challenges is fighting your enemies. Enemies like success, ambition, or fear. Not that there is anything wrong with these. But when they take over, they cause us to act in ways that go against what we are trying to accomplish.
I challenge you to write down one of your enemies and build a plan to slay it. When you do, I am confident you will see new gains in your life that you did not think possible.
Until next time…I’m Marty, make every minute count.
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