Does it have to be so hard?
Thomas Jefferson didn’t hold back when it came to advising on personal conduct. In 1825 he wrote to John Spear Smith and included a "decalogue of…
One-time Major League Baseball pitcher Dennis “Oil Can” Boyd reportedly said, “It’s not all peaches and cream. You’re going to have your ups and downs, but I haven’t learned that yet.”
Boyd was talking about pitching, but his thoughts are good for life: Just because you can say the words, doesn’t mean you get the message.
The words I know? It’s going to be hard.
Will I ever get the message? Maybe.
Every time I set out I imagine a beautiful land where fruit falls onto sun warmed earth. Where tanned teams are cooling in a sea-salt breeze, ready and able to row for the horizon to the beat of a drum. Where thoughts turn to ideas turn to plans turn to actions.
It just ain’t so.
The reality? It’s always hard.
What seems simple becomes an uphill slog. Tramping through the wind and rain – a glimpse of the path, around and about, up blind alleys, down snow-shoots. What is the route though the mountains?
Then the fog lifts, the sun breaks clear and crisp. It’s cold, but it’s that good cold where you feel your breath and know it was worth it. NOW I see the valley below.
The lesson I need to learn? First steps are the hardest, take ‘em any way.
Next time: start moving forward. Baby steps – accept they’re small, but know they get there in the end.
Get a daily nudge by subscribing to email updates.
Category:
Leading
Assuming I take care of basic hygiene and health, what happens if I keep on driving for weeks and months and years? Find myself in places…