When You Hit A Wall

 

We Get Tired and Think We Need a Rest

I will not deny that on occasion the press of life gets so great that we legitimately need a forced rest.  Most of the time, however, we are like a long - distance runner who “hits a wall.”  Marathon runners reach a point halfway through the race where they believe that they can go no further.  Everything in them wants to stop.  Runners have learned, however, to push through this phase of the race.  Seemingly, from out of nowhere comes a burst of energy, the wall crumbles and they are able to finish the race. 

It is that way for those of us who run the race of life, as well.  Yes, we are tired, but just on the other side of our desire to rest there is a burst of energy that will take us all the way into the end-zone.  F. Scott Fitzgerald said it like this, “There are only the pursued, the pursuing, the busy and the tired.”  Be one who doggedly pursues past "the wall."

“There are only the pursued, the pursuing, the busy and the tired.” F.Scott Fitzgerald

How to Deal with Disappointment

 We All Carry Disappointments   

 

Life takes its toll.  If we lack a right perspective, disappointments and setbacks accumulate over time and can cause depression and an inability to have hope for the future.  Franciscan author Richard Rohr put it this way, “Until we walk with despair, and still have hope, we will not know that our hope was not just hope in ourselves, in our own successes, in our power to make a difference, in our image of what perfection should be.  We need hope from a much deeper Source. We need a hope larger than ourselves.”… “This very journey is probably the heart of what Jesus came to reveal.”  
 
I couldn't agree more.  When it comes to processing disappointments it is more about where you process them than how you process them.  Where do you process life's disappointments and setbacks? I hope you have a place outside of your "head space" to reflect and draw inspiration. 

Here's how Dr. Martin Luther King suggests we deal with disappointment, "We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope."   

"There's always failure. And there's always disappointment. And there's always loss. But the secret is learning from the loss, and realizing that none of those holes are vacuums." J. Fox Michael 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

13 Ways to Make the World a Better Place

Consistent 

  

As we conclude our posts on taking the high road let me ask, are you known as someone who is consistent?  Do you hang-in-there and endure with associates who are going through hardship?  Are you a friend in both the good and the bad times?  Do people know they can count on you? 
  
Like me, I suspect you deeply appreciate people who demonstrate the value of consistency. And I am sure that many people would characterize you as someone they can count on.  This value has a profound impact on our productivity and our relationships. 
  
As we strive for the "high road" here is a recommended set of values that I believe ought to govern our behavior in the marketplace and every place: 

• Patience 

• Kindness 

• Celebration 

• Moderation 

• Manners 

• Give, Give, Give 

• Peace 

• Let go 

• Truth 

• Perseverance 

• Positivity 

• Hopeful 

• Consistent  

Let’s make our sliver of creation a little better for those we interact with.  Won’t you join me in demonstrating virtue?   
  
Food for thought: Be a force for good in the marketplace and every place so we make the world a better place. 
   

"It is time to return to core values, time to get back to basics, to self-discipline and respect for the law, to consideration for the others, to accepting responsibility for yourself and your family - and not shuffling it off on other people and the state." John Major 
 

Make 2023 Great

 Positivity 

My father used to have a picture of a Basset Hound (the saddest looking dog in the world) hanging in his office with the caption “Act enthusiastic and you’ll be enthusiastic.”  Dad was the consummate positive thinker and I have benefited greatly from his example. 
  
Acting positively isn’t a game or a trick.  It really works.  While I am not suggesting that you discount reality, I am suggesting that when we approach life with a positive attitude things generally work out better.  Be a “glass is half full” kind or person and be a positive force to those around you.  
  

Hopeful  

Hopeful is positivity’s next door neighbor.  Hopeful says: 

• It is going to be a good day.  

• Things are going to go well at today’s board meeting. 

• I will have the wisdom to know how to act if something goes wrong. 

• What may break can be fixed. 

• Even though I didn’t sleep, I will have the energy I need for the day. 

Hope looks forward to a good outcome, hopefully. 

“Successful people maintain a positive focus in life no matter what is going on around them. They stay focused on their past successes rather than their past failures, and on the next action steps they need to take to get them closer to the fulfillment of their goals rather than all the other distractions that life presents to them." Jack Canfield