Advice for When We Hit the 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 half way 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.”  Don’t buy into the lie of the latter.

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." 

Actor Michael J. Fox who has endured significant physical setbacks provides additional guidance when he suggests,  "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."

Can People Count on You?

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