I want to sort of pick up where I left off yesterday regarding the ability to win...or the ability to lose (and in some cases, you have to work at THAT as well).Life is one of those things that tends to come at you at it's OWN pace...usually somewhere approaching the speed of light.
Think of how nice it would be if a lot more "stuff" in our lives came at us all a bit more S L O W L Y ...
We could see it from afar...take our time to get a plan together, and still have time to implement it, then decide if that plan is going to work or not, and still be able to yank "Plan-B" our of our hip pockets.
Would be nice.
But too many times, we have to "think on the fly", as a mentor of mine used to say.
Kind of like Indiana Jones "making it up as I go along".
Sometimes, we come out a winner...other times, not so much.
What we have to learn first off, is that life is full of struggles, and with good reason.
If we never have anything to CHALLENGE us, we never "grow" as individuals.We stagnate...like that nasty-ass pond water with the scum floating on top.
And the struggles we face (sometimes daily) might not always be something we planned for.
We face personal crises such as death, divorce, health issues, traffic jams, and the like.
We also face professional crises such as layoffs, strikes, job losses, and even the "what the hell do I want to DO with all that intelligence and life experiences I picked up over the years?" syndrome.
We face financial problems connected usually with one or more of the aforementioned crises.
Sometimes these are unpredictable and sudden.
Hell, sometimes, it becomes a "chore" when we're thinking of what the hell to have for breakfast.
I know I detest such "executive decision-making" so damn early in the morning.
Now, with all this crap flying at us and about us damn near every day, how we decide to handle it will determine not only the obvious OUTCOME of the issues, but will also set certain STANDARDS for the manner in which WE act...or do not act.Many of us become frozen when too much comes at us too quickly...and that's not always such a bad thing.
Some of us need that time to PLAN...to DECIDE how best to address the problem.
The trouble comes with a prolonged inability to not do a damn thing.
However long we take, the problem will (usually) STILL be there, and we WILL have to tackle it head on.
Many others of us plow right the hell into a situation, and that can bring it's own difficulties.
We might not have given ANY thought to the outcome when we jump the hell in.
And that can be as disastrous as not doing anything.
So, how do we determine that "balance" of though and action?
Well, the best way is like most anything else...with PRACTICE.
Sounds a bit simplistic, right?
You start out small and work your way UP...you learn to ASSESS a problem.You learn what options are available to you.
You choose from those options, or create a new and better one.
And then...you have at it.
Works in warfare...works in life, too.
You TRAIN yourself...you EDUCATE yourself.
You rely on YOURSELF, having been self taught and self trained in how best to respond to life's issues.
Other people are there in life to ASSIST you, be they family, friends, mentors, teachers...whoever.
They are not there to take you through life by the hand.
I'll be the first to tell you that going through life, relying solely on OTHERS is NOT the way to go.
I see the result of such "lives" every day on my streets.
And it's pretty damn sad, but I don't feel the pity.
They made their decision, and only THEY can enact a change for the better.
They "think" they're doing OK, but they not only missed the damn boat...hell, they didn't even bother to show up at the dock!
Now...what if you make a "wrong" decision?
(good question)
If you are doing what you BELIEVE to be correct (and we're saying that it's NOT illegal or breaking any laws), then you should also be man or woman enough to take a stand, whatever the outcome. There are no REAL "wrong" decisions in that case. Just ones that are "less right" than others.THAT is how you LEARN.
THAT is how you develop INTEGRITY.
THAT is how you become a person of ETHICAL standards.
Like I say, you might win some, and lose some, and even break even on a few, but you have become a better person for the experience.
Life is meant to be a journey of EXPERIENCES...not a journey of SORROWS!(although sorrow is as much a part of the human condition as is joy)
You have to remember....life moves in it's own time, and makes NO accommodations for YOU, or anyone else.
What YOU have to do is adapt yourself through knowledge, wisdom, and experience, in order to best navigate the eddys and currents of life itself. And it's like most anything in life...the more you do it, the better you get at it.
Do nothing, and expect to go nowhere.
Do something, and there is no limit to who you can become as a person.
Even if it seems you've lost (at times), you can STILL be a winner...it all depends on how YOU define victory and what YOUR terms for such a win have been.
We're not in this life to win every "battle"...we're in it to win the "war".We fight when we have to and rest when we need to.
But we never let up...it's OUR fight...OUR life to win...or to lose.
Just a little something to think about, folks.
Stay safe out there, America.
2 comments:
i had a supervisor at work say to me long time ago. that i couldnt expect other people to be like me. he is a smart man. and what he was refering to was the simple fact most people are not agressive enough to do what is right to make it at a job. most people are hand held to get a job done. i've seen this all too much. while on overtime the last few days i have seen this in a few perticular cases. i normally drive a machine all afternoon/night long. my overtime has consited in lifting objects that are not light in weight and moving them to the proper location to move them again to transportation out of our facility. this stuff can weight up to 70 pounds. and i am not the senior driver but i do get a different pay them someone that would normally be doing this overtime work on a normal bases becouse i drive. the most junior driver gets to continue doing her duties while the rest of us are sweating our butts off. it really dont matter what we do on overtime we still get paid the same, but its the fact we would love to rotate the hell out of the hell hole we are being used in. but, who complains when the pay is 35.00 an hour. not i.
hand holding is in so many areas of our life. its sickening. but, if the person that normally dont have their hand held uses it right it can be a benifit to them. becouse 99percent of the time the person that didnt have the hand held can keep it (whatever it happens to be) together better then the ones that have been helped along the way. and alot of times other people see what is going on and help the people that are helping themselves by doing little things for them that they might not realize at the moment but latter they understand that they have been watched out for. even if its God watching out for that person and no one else.
i personally have been givin hints at what God wants me to do or not to do. then when the incident happens i have been somehow excluded from all the fun and games of being written up, or even perhaps potional death. he sends us signals threw other people or even nature we just have to be attuned to hear them. and the ones that have been hand held usually cant hear it; or even beleive it.
Indy:
MY belief has always been if something needs to get done, and I'm around, I'll jump in, roll up my sleeves and get it going!
Things don't always take care of themselves...that much is certain.
I think the failing that many people suffer, which leads to all this hand-holding, is that THEY were NEVER shown HOW to rely on themselves, their OWN abilities, or were just never taught anything else.
The "aggression" you speak of can be taught...look at grads from BASIC TRAINING...LOL!
Now while we always don't need that on the jobs in civvie life, a certain amount of "backbone" can be an acquired skill, and a little will go a LONG way.
We (Americans) have always been a self-sufficinet people.
When something HARD came along...we got to work and did it anyway.
I really appreciate your insightful views on this...you TRULY "get it".
Keep the faith, and thanks for stopping by.
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