Life S.U.C.K.S.
LIFE S.U.C.K.S.
We all understand that life has its ups and downs; its victories and defeats, its joys and its moments of sadness. These are truths none will argue with. We have read motivational and inspirational quotes and have been inspired in the moment. Perhaps we have even written the motivational phrase on a card and placed it where we can see it regularly. This is a good practice.
Yet to have a meaningful and successful life we have to do more than read inspirational quotes. We all know that we must ACT in ways that brings meaning and purpose to our lives and value and love to those who are a part of our lives.
Truly Life S.U.C.K.S. And I wanted to share a few thoughts about this truth … but in a motivational and, hopefully, inspirational way.
The good Life should possess:
STRENGTH
We should all possess an inner strength to face the “stuff” of life. It IS in us, we may just have to dig deep to find it. But it IS there within us. Life is hard sometimes. But the hard times need not define us. Rather, they should shape us. As Eleanor Roosevelt shared:
“We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face… we must do that which we think we cannot.”
We must not allow our failures and fears to prevent us from being all we can be. We should tap into the strength that lies within, that was placed there by our Creator.
Rule the day!
UNDERSTANDING
This concept carries two aspects: ourselves and those with which we interact.
We must understand ourselves and be comfortable in our own sandals. It doesn’t mean that we can’t change or that we don’t need to make some changes. Perhaps we do. But ultimately we are who we are because of life’s circumstances and the world we grew up in; let alone the personality DNA weaved into us by the hand of the Divine.
Oftentimes we are not at our best because we are looking at others and wondering why we don’t have what they have or why we can’t be more like them. We shouldn’t even consider such things. We should just be true to ourselves.
Some people love the way I preach and some truly hate it. I am animated and energetic. I have been accused of not taking the call of God seriously. Yet ultimately, I roll with what works for me. I preach and teach on the subjects that I believe have the most value for those that hear. If my energy and animations offend some, then that will just have to happen. I do care, but as Zig said,
“When it comes to people, you win some, you lose some, and some get rained out.”
We all must strive to understand others. We just aren’t the same nor are we cut from the same mold. I really do scratch my head when I interact with certain people. So many people are weird, strange, goofy, insensitive, complaining, whining, draining, and etc. And the weird part is, they don’t even know it.
We should strive to understand them as best we can. Rather than judge them, listen more closely to them. Perhaps there is something under the surface of that person that we just haven’t seen yet.
COMMITMENT
“The quality of a person’s life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor.”
~ Vince Lombardi
Commitment is the brother of dedication. It is what ALL failures in life lack. Many people want a good life and one in which dreams come true, yet that have no commitment to it. Commitment to a task or a dream requires daily action steps. It does not involve whining, complaining, or making excuses. As Jim Rohn reminded, we have a tendency to play the blame game when it comes to our failures. We blame the economy, the government, the weather, our health, our circumstances, and a hundred other things. But rarely do we blame OURSELVES!
To get what we want in life requires the determined decision to do it followed by the consistent commitment to make it happen. Years ago I came up with a phrase while I was consulting with a young mother who was terminally ill. She wanted to know how to live her last few months in front of her young sons (5 and 7 years old) . I don’t know if it is original with me or not, but I don’t recall having heard it before, but I said to her :
“Don’t Die Until You are Dead.”
She got the point and made the commitment to let her sons see a mom who embraced life as long as she had it. In fact, she didn’t die. She overcame the illness and continued to set personal goals to be the best mom she could be. She remained committed. She lived her commitment!
We can all do the same.
KINDNESS
Many people in the world are mean, mad, and just plain unpleasant to be around. That doesn’t mean, however, that we have to be one of them. The old expression reigns true:
“If someone doesn’t have a smile, give ‘em yours.”
We never really know what people face behind the scenes. People let us see only what they want us to see. Their pain or anger could be caused by circumstances they simply choose not to share. Always be kind to others no matter what. And if they don’t return the kindness, so what?
Oh, and while you are at it, be kind to yourself as well. Sometimes we remain angry at ourselves for mistakes of the past or present. Forgive yourself as God has forgiven you, let it go, and move on.
SACRIFICE
Sacrifice is that thing that is a true MUST in our lives. To make a dream come true we must make the sacrifices and do some things that are inconvenient. My daughter Kara is a good little golfer for someone who has played for less than a year. She can drive the ball over 230 yards which, to me as a proud dad, is pretty impressive for a 16 year old. Yet, she isn’t consistent and sometimes pushes the ball into the trees. She gets so frustrated and wonders why she can’t be as good as Paula Creamer of the LPGA.
I tell her that even Creamer pushes it into the trees from time to time. Then I tell her that the real reason that the ladies on the LPGA are as good as they are is because they sacrifice time, energy, effort, and even money to get to the top. I tell Kara to make the sacrifice to hit balls every day and her game will improve.
So many of us want something to be the reality of our life. We have the stuff to make it happen. But we will never see it become a reality unless we make the sacrifices required to make it happen.
We must also make sacrifices for others. Many times people need our help at all the wrong times. I have always said, “people never call me up and say, ‘Is this a good time for me to get sick and enter the hospital or should I wait for a better day for you?’” No, they get sick at the worst of times.
But people matter. And there will be times when their needs will be amazingly inconvenient. But there is an awesome Book that teaches a good principle:
“Consider others more highly than you consider yourself.”
Make the sacrifices!
Get some strength, become understanding, be more committed, always be kind, and make the sacrifices that make all the difference.
Why? Because Life S.U.C.K.S!!!
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