“Yes – I can do this!”  We have all been there at some point.  We start out with a great deal of energy and excitement as we head into our journey towards that next big objective.

Many times we encounter some catalyst for change brought on by a meaningful event in our lives:  A significant change in our personal life, the ideas of a great speaker, the insightful guidance from a friend or family member, or some helpful concept in a book.  Some situation triggered our response to get motivated to take on that next challenge and go after another well intentioned goal.  We take off from that mountain top “high” with a great deal of enthusiasm.

After traveling a little ways into our journey, we eventually find ourselves off the mountain top “high” and into the valley.  The valley we encounter towards our objective is difficult.  The ability to clearly see our goal gets more challenging and somehow the journey does not seem as exciting as when we set off from the mountain top.

I am sure we can all relate to a few valley moments:

• After some time of progress on our new diet and exercise routine, things slow down a little and we notice a few pounds creeping back on the scale
• After some time in a new job, when our coworkers and boss don’t seem as supportive as they did at the start and the work is no longer exciting
• When that “sweet bundle of joy” we brought home from the hospital becomes angry and rebellious
• When the “I do” in marriage becomes “when you know what freezes over”
• When a poor choice brings about a bad outcome and there is no hiding from the consequence

On a much lighter note, but still a meaningful, teaching moment about the valleys of life, is the current state of our family garden (it is not in good shape as we come out of summer).

The “family” garden is probably one of the most relevant and practical examples of how things can come off the rails along our journey toward our goals.  A very simple, natural law, if adhered to, can bring about an amazingly abundant harvest:  Plan in the winter, prepare the ground and plant in the spring, water and cultivate all summer, and then in the fall, an abundant harvest.  The journey towards our goals in life are no different than the simple steps to a successful family garden.

We could all come up with a good laundry list of excuses when we are struggling in the valley and some of them are legitimate.  Storms do come in life and destroy much of what we tried to build.  Tragedy does strike.  People do fail to keep up their end of the contract.  However, for the vast majority of our journey, the consistent application of these timeless, universal, and self-evident principles will rarely cause us to fall short of crossing through the valley and reaching the next mountain top in our journey.

Below are a few suggestions around these principles to support moving through the valley and up to the next mountain top:

(1)    Set priorities.  We cannot do everything.  Be very selective and declare a clear “yes” or a clear “no” so our energy can be channeled into a few really important goals.

(2)    Plan and prepare.  “Winging it” or “going with the flow” is not an effective strategy.  We need to be intentional about outlining the direction we are heading and the habits we need to keep heading in that direction.  Our habits will help keep us on our intended direction in the darkness of the valley.

(3)    Cultivate/Execute the plan.  This should be the mechanical process of day in, day out executing our intended habits.  When our habits (thoughts, decisions, and actions) are guided by principles like perseverance, commitment, loyalty, and respect, we build and strengthen our character and Character Creates Opportunity® to move through the valleys and achieve that next milestone in our journey.

We will have our share of valley moments throughout life.  However, as we remain consistent in adhering to timeless principles, we will move forward along our most effective path on the journey of life.