Parable of the Man Who Wouldn't Give In

There once was a man who lived in an unusual time. Uncertainty and struggling and turmoil ~ you name it ~ it was all around. It was pressing in. It was affecting his community. It was affecting his peers. It was trying to lay hold of him.

"But I'm just not gonna give in to it," the man said. "I'm just not gonna let it control me."

"I'm just not gonna let it take over. I'm just not gonna let it dictate."

"I'm just not gonna become frustrated. I'm just not gonna play the blame game / look for a scapegoat. I'm just not gonna become angry. I'm just not gonna become depressed, distraught, disillusioned."

"Instead, I'm just gonna keep working hard like I've always worked hard."

"I'm just gonna keep being faithful like I've always been faithful."

"I'm just gonna keep lending a helping hand like I've always lent a helping hand."

"I'm just gonna keep doing things like I've always done things (whether it's a time of plenty or a time of poverty)."

"I'm just gonna." (Say it yourself. Go ahead. "I'm just gonna.")

And isn't it really a "winning attitude" that'll get us through the tough times, bottom line? #hope

You might also be interested in:

• Help! (plus video)
• You Matter

What to Do When You're the "Goat"

The screaming line drive was hooking wickedly towards the right field line. There was only time for a quick dive out of my shoes from a crouched and ready position. The ball would hit against the tip of my glove and roll. All the way to the fence.

One run scored. Two runs. Three. Four. An inside-the-park home run! It overcame a 3-run lead and won the softball championship game in the bottom of the seventh with two outs ~ but for the other team.

Ouch.

My initial response? I picked myself up off the ground. I walked towards the outfield fence. I climbed over. And left.

And sometimes things just happen. And we're the "goat." (Been there? Done that?) And even though we're good at what we do (the "best"! ~ you better believe it), still life throws us a curve (a screaming line drive hooking wickedly) and we blow it. We choke. We miss the ball. We make a decision and it doesn't pan out well. (However you want to put it.)

And it's really no fault of ourselves (most of the time). Right? It's just the quote "cards we're dealt." The "breaks." The school of "hard knocks."

So what are we gonna do?

Well, we're gonna shake it off and play in the next game. That's what we're gonna do.

(P.S. My teammates were good about how the game turned out. They would tell me later in the parking lot, "Mike, there's no way anybody could have caught that.")

You might also be interested in:

• That Guy’s An Adult and I’m Just A Kid
• SWAT Operation (and the stupid thing I did)

I Just Don't Feel Like It

I just don't feel like it. Have you ever heard anybody say that before? Have you ever said it? (Oh, maybe you haven't said it, but maybe you've felt it?) "I just don't feel like waking up this morning." "I just don't feel like going to work." "I just don't feel like dieting." "I just don't feel like eating my vegetables." "I just don't feel like being a parent to an ornery child." "I just don't feel like being married anymore to him (or her)." We've all dealt with "I just don't feel like it" feelings. Agree? But then we continue on, don't we? Most of us. We press through despite our feelings. We get out of bed. We go to work. We diet, eat our vegetables, parent that child and stay married. That's what they call: "commitment."

At Normandy they didn't feel like hitting those beaches realizing they would die doing it, but they did it any way. The Nazi death camps would still be in existence without that kind of sacrifice. Commitment, perseverance, honor, love, et al, are still virtues to be talked about and embraced today. "I just don't feel like" letting my feelings get in the way.

(Thanks to Seth Godin for the idea for this post. I saw his title, "I Don't Feel Like It," out of the corner of my eye, but didn't read his post until after writing mine.)

3 Things to Remember About Starting Over

A young Greek artist painted a masterpiece. Day after day he continued to admire it. Then came the shocker. His teacher wiped the entire painting out. Why? To challenge his student to do better. The young man would go on to produce "one of the finest paintings of antiquity" called: Sacrifice of Iphigenia (clickable picture above left). (Story from higherpraise.com)

Starting over. Sometimes the tutor called Life comes along and wipes everything out. If that's where you find yourself today, I've come up with the following points as a help...

3 Things to Remember About Starting Over:

1. You have been here before. Remember when you were a freshman in high school? You couldn't wait 'til you were a sophomore. Right? No more freshman thing for you. Uh uh. But then came college. Bottom line: You handled it.

2. You are in a better position. You've gained a ton of skill since your last starting point. You're ahead of the game by leaps and bounds. You're an asset. Be confident.

3. You can top what you've previously done. Just like it was for the young Greek artist, the best is yet to come. Keep at it. Be amazing.

(Above picture in the public domain: click here.)