“March on. Do not tarry. To go forward is to move toward perfection. March on, and fear not the thorns,
or the sharp stones on life’s path (Khalil Gibran).”
Those who choose to live, march on. They don’t look back or cry over life not being fair. They march on. They know there will be challenges, undaunted, they march on.
“Things happen along the way in our path. Instead of looking at it as a wall that’s being put up in front of us, look at it as as opportunity to scale new heights and to climb that wall – to see and do things you didn’t think you were capable of (Robin Roberts).”
Each of us faces challenges. They wait for us around the next corner. The attitude we take to our challenges makes all the difference in determining the success we’ll have when we face them. If we see it as an opportunity and learning experience we have a chance to succeed and grow. Whatever challenge you’re facing, you’re stronger, tougher, and wiser than the challenge.
Being optimistic isn’t being foolhardy.Optimists make the best out of situations. If, for example, one is planning an outdoor party, optimism isn’t going to stop the rain. The optimist will know the rain is a disappointment. Instead of bemoaning the nasty weather, the optimist will ask, “How can we make the party work?” They’ll find a way.
We give our hopes freely to sports teams. They may be teams in professional leagues, college teams, or national teams. We experience moments of euphoria when they win and moments of depression when they lose. We take losses personal. Players and coaches of winning teams are praised and players and coaches of losing teams are criticized. One thing I am certain, no player or coach wakes up thinking, “I want to lose this game/match.” They wake up filled with excitement for the competition. The competition is a good assessment of which team is the better team at a certain moment. Each morning when we enter our day normal people don’t set a goal of making the day the worse day ever. Every normal person wants a good day. As we work ourselves through the day we compete with the challenges that come our way. How we handle the challenges is our measure for the moment. When we fail, we only fail in that moment. If we get up and start over, learn our lessons, we may discover that we are victorious over our next challenge.
Problems are the single resource that keeps on giving. We all have them. As soon as we clear the table, another shows up. We can let problems become a burden to us and defeat us. Or, we can accept the challenge they toss at us. We can use them to toughen us up, gain experience, and prove our skill in handling them. We all have problems. The key is not to let problems have us.
What if you wrote the story of your life? Would you tell of all the challenges you faced? Would you tell about the times you stood alone for what was right and didn’t back down? Would you tell of how love came into your life? Would you tell of dreams chased, captured or lost? Our lives are our stories and we are the central character of our stories. Here’s hoping your story is a heroic adventure, one of which you and those who know you can be proud.
“Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered, you will never grow.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
Inside each challenge we face there is a gem. The gem may be an opportunity. The gem may be something we need to learn. Look for the gem in the challenges you face and you’ll discover the secrets the challenges planned for you.
“I didn’t see that coming.” How often have you heard those words. The unexpected can disrupt the best of plans. When the unexpected hits we can rant and rave that life isn’t fair. It’s not. The unexpected happens and it gives us no warning. What we do in these moments defines us. It stamps a mark on our character. Act boldly, confidently, and face the unexpected head on. Learn its lessons, acquire the strength the unexpected is offering.
It takes hard work to build muscle. It takes consistency and progressively heavier weights. If we want to improve in any area of our lives, at any age, the formula is the same, hard work, consistency, and progressive challenges.
