I had the pleasure of working for one tough, VERY tough lady. She came from the philosophy that you must break your employees down, then rebuild them into the people you want them to be. On my last day working for her, she said that she had finally gotten the "mediocrity" out of me. Wow. ^.^ I'm not mediocre!!!She also gave me advice about rocks. There are times, she said, when you dig into the ground, and the soil is really loose and easy to work with. Then your shovel will hit a rock. If it's a small rock, you can dig it out. If it's a large rock you can find ways to dig around it. But sometimes, you're going to hit one freaking fat boulder that won't budge, and instead of going around, you MUST go through.
Failure is not an option.
So. What do you do?
She told me that the difference between successful people and mediocre people is that you never let the boulders impede your progress. Although the boulder is in your way, find other things you can do to press forward. Push other rocks... dig in a different direction.
Every day, test the boulder. It still may not budge, but chip at it. Move it. Smack it at a different angle. Maybe today it won't move. That's okay. Push the other rocks in your path while you find a solution to move your boulder. One day, it's going to move. One day, as you push the other rocks, you'll find that stick of dynamite to blow that sucker way the heck outa Dodge!!! As long as you work on the boulder a little bit at a time, eventually it'll happen.
Until that day happens, you will have still moved a ton of dirt and rocks while you wait. THAT'S progress. ^.^
-One other thing I wanted to point out. Remember that point about the difference between successful people and mediocre people? If there's a difference, than success has nothing to do with luck. It means you have to find out what that difference is...and NOT be mediocre.
Indomitable spirit. Ala bedrock.
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3 comments:
Luck is random, my friend, and it's for those who honestly think life is a lottery, that success or failure is like a roll of the dice. Life is about rates of exchange. (Which I mention more than once in "Hell Knight", slight plug!) To earn something, we have to give something...those who become bedrock are those who give effort and thought and as you said spirit to find ways to gain what they want, their goal, whatever it may be. Those who depend on 'life's lottery' (coined by a politician, of course) are the small rocks who get pushed to the side and left behind.
I love it, Charles! You are exactly right. I see it more and more now, too. People who allow their burdens to become rocks that block their path never succeed, while people who see their burdens as challenges to be overcome will grow from the experience and will become stronger/better for it.
Excellent Blog! And far too true!
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