There’s no way around it: “He who would lose his life, for my sake, shall find it.”

Our souls are committed to growing. Growing requires stretching. And stretching is hard work.

Living “as if” has been greatly misrepresented in the movies—there’s no such thing as a twenty-four year old brain surgeon in high heels. Many go for the look; few work for it.

But just because people love the glamour of achievement more than achievement itself doesn’t negate the fact that we must first step into the shoes before we can wear them (not necessarily high heels). This is called the Law of Assumption, and it is essential to the spiritual path.

Every area of human knowledge is one of those “many mansions in my Father’s house” that Jesus spoke of. And every one has a door upon which we must knock (knock and then push) if we are to enter.

Knowledge is power, and power never surrenders itself; it must be seized.

“Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back. Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it now.”

Equilibrium is the result of growth, not the cause of it. To grow, we must become unbalanced. We must push the limits of our capabilities and extend ourselves past them. First the egg, then the chicken. That’s life’s first test—can you, indeed WILL you, break free from your shell?

What you don’t do is sometimes worse than what you do.