How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. That is a phrase credited to Desmond Tutu, and it is a way to break down monumental tasks into smaller, bite-sized chunks. Do you know another way? You stay the course. Whatever your goal is, you stay the course. No matter how enormous it seems or how long it takes to get there, you stay the course. You may get frustrated and want to give up. You know what you do? You stay the course.

Whatever goal you’re working toward, being realistic about what you are trying to achieve will help you stay on track and prevent you from getting frustrated. If your goal is to lose a lot of weight, remember the weight didn’t come on all at once, and it’s not going to fall off all at once either. It will take time. Stay the course. If you are trying to pay off a large debt, it most likely didn’t accumulate all at once, and it’s not going to go away all at once. Stay the course.

People may be uncomfortable with the changes you are trying to make or the time you are spending devoted to your goals. They will try to encourage you to step away, go have some fun. Take a break. They may try anything to throw you off course. There may be many reasons why they do this, and most of the time they may not even realize what they’re doing or how it is impacting you. They may fear change, or the change that might occur within you by proceeding with your goal, and how that will impact your relationship. They might feel stagnant in their own life and worry that you’ll leave them behind as you grow and change as a result of your pursuit. They might be jealous of the time you are committing to your goal. What do you do? You stay the course. People are always going to try to knock you down or discourage you from moving forward. I have had people question me as to why I keep putting out books that will probably never be bestsellers. They ask why I keep doing it. You know what I do? I give them a polite response, and I stay the course. I do this because I have my own reasons and goals, and they belong to me. I don’t have to justify my choices to anyone.

As focused as I am on my goals, it can get overwhelming sometimes when I am trying to balance working with writing and all the activities that come with it. So, whenever I find myself starting to falter or get off track, I tell myself, “Stay the course. Stay the course.” And I always say it twice, just to make doubly sure I stick to my goals.

“You don’t have to see the whole staircase. Just take the first step.” —Martin Luther King Jr.

Stay the Course

When you have a goal in mind
But it feels so far away
When you want to throw your hands up
And save it for another day

When the obstacles in front of you
Feel like too great of a force
Keep on persevering . . .
Stay the course. Stay the course.

When the burdens that you’re carrying
Are too heavy of a load
And you want to turn around
And head down a different road

When you want to change direction
But you know you’ll feel remorse
Keep on moving forward . . .
Stay the course. Stay the course.

Your goal will come with challenges
That may seem too hard to achieve.
Fear will creep into your head,
Tempting you to believe.

Obstacles will come along
And deter you from your route.
Hurdles will delay progress
And fill your head with doubt.

These doubts that crawl into your head
Will try to bring you down.
But don’t allow them in . . .
Hold your ground. Hold your ground.

People will try to bring you down
And tell you that you’ll fail.
You’ll wonder if they’re right
And if you should pursue a different trail.

But don’t believe their words
And don’t suffer their wrath.
Stick to your commitment . . .
Stay the path. Stay the path.

Focus on your goals
And visualize the end.
Don’t listen to the naysayers
And don’t try to defend.

You believe in what you’re doing
And you know what’s in your soul.
You only have yourself to please
As you move toward your goal.

This is an undertaking
That only you can enforce
As you focus on the target . . .
Stay the course. Stay the course.