Struggle

Yesterday started out pretty rough for me. Got up early to bake (working on those skills) and after two hours of making cinnamon rolls, they were over cooked. I have an old oven. I work really hard to adapt the recipes to make sure they cook but aren't over cooked. Well my adjustments didn't work. I was so frustrated and angry. Made me even wonder if my idea was still a good one.

Fast forward a few hours, I'm at work reading an e-mail that came in. Every Friday I get a inspirational story sent to me. Yesterday's hit home. It was about a 62 year old man who competed in a 350 mile race across the arctic ice. He described it as toughest thing he'd ever done. He even thought about quitting. But the thing about this race is that because of the cold he couldn't quit. Because if he did, he would die.

What he learned was that "We are capable of much more than we believe we are capable of."

It's so easy to give up, quit. But we are capable of so much more. My idea is still a good one. I have to keep going.

The Pursuit of Happiness

I just watched the Will Smith movie The Pursuit of Happiness. It's one inspirational movie I have a hard time watching. It's not that it's a bad movie, it's just that the movie tells the story of a man who is trying to do better for his family. He feels that working for Dean Witter will get him where he wants to be, but the only way to get his shot with the company is to take an unpaid internship. Six months with no income. He and his son live in a homeless shelter, he sells medical equipment on the side, sells his plasma, and whatever else he can find that might give him a few dollars to survive a few more days.


I struggle with the movie because I tend to be a quitter. When the going gets tough, I quit. I love my comfort zone and I know that success takes place out side that zone.

"Periods of tranquility are seldom prolific of creative achievement. Mankind has to be stirred up." ~Alfred North Whitehead

I know that if I want to succeed I have to do something. I often wish success would walk up and knock on my door, but it's not going to happen that way. I don't have to do it all at once, but I do need to do a little. Everyday I do a little more towards my dreams takes me that much closer to where I want to be.

I may not be there yet, but I'm closer than I was yesterday. ~Author Unknown

Inspiration

I have tried to write this post several times. I start and then delete it because I worry about how it will sound or what someone might think. This explains the large gap between now and my last post. I figured I better just write it down or I would never post again.

I love inspirational stories. My movie shelf is full of movies that are inspiring. Same with my bookshelf. You are probably wondering why this was so hard for me to write about. What I have been struggling with is the fact that all of us do exceptional things in our lives. Maybe not to the degree that will get Disney to make it into a movie or will be put into a best selling book, but its still something that could inspire someone else.

There are people in this world who are going through very difficult times. Sometimes those people are our neighbors or even our friends. A story of triumph over adversity just might be what they need to push through their hardship.

(Here's where I quit and delete) A few years back I was asked to be the administrator of our local nursing home. I thought it was a great opportunity but there was a small problem. I needed a four year degree. I had attended a community college for two years but never quite finished my transfer degree. After much discussion with my husband, the plan was to finish up the class I needed for my transfer degree then attend a four year school. Since we don't live near a four year school the plan was to take the classes on line. Oh and the best part was I needed to be done as fast as possible. I finished up the transfer degree in about three months and then proceeded to start on my four year degree. I figured out how I could get this done in a little over a year. I didn't quit my job or stop being a mother (housework did suffer greatly I will admit).

Fast forward one year. I just about met my goal but I had one class to finish. I was about 1/2 way through it when the owners of the nursing home came to visit. They gathered everyone together and explained that they were closing the doors. Talk about devastating. I didn't want to finish up my class, I just wanted to quit. After a lot of encouragement from my husband, I went ahead and finished the class and got my degree. The nursing home closed and I found other work and eventually ended up where I am now in a much better job.

Why share this story? I don't know if it is inspiring, that's something you will have to decide. The point was to show that we all overcome things in our lives. Some small like me and others are huge. I would like to ask that you share with me your inspiring story. Yes I really want to hear it. You don't have to give names or any details you don't want to give.

"The greatest results in life are usually attained by simple means and the exercise of ordinary qualities."

Time

"The only thing even in this world are the number of hours in a day. The difference in winning or losing is what you do with those hours."
Woody Hayes

I sometimes feel like other people must have so much more time that I do because they are able to do so much. But we all have the same number of hours in a day, it comes down to how we choose to use them. I find myself focusing on what I can't seem to get done rather than focusing on doing the best I can. I have also realized that sometimes you have to get up off the couch even when you don't feel like it. It's so easy for me to come home from work tired and use that as an excuse to not do anything. Then I'm kicking myself for not getting things done. Usually a few focused minutes will go along way.

I've got too many things that I need to accomplish that I will use my time productively. I'll get my relaxing time, I always do. This way, I can relax without feeling like I've let myself down.

Failure

"What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?"

~Dr. Robert Schuller

I know that there are so many things that I want to do but I never get around to doing them. Sometimes it's because I decide that it wasn't really something I was interested in after all, but most of the time, I walk away because I'm scared I will fail.

Most of my life I have chosen the things I want to do based on one criteria. "Can I do it?" If I didn't think I could, I never tried it. Play it safe was my motto. Do only those things you know you will succeed at. There were still failures but I could justify them with the thought of how much worse it could have been.

Over the past 15 years or so I've read a lot of books. They've taught me different things, but I never changed how I looked at the things I wanted to try. This year has changed all that. I have been introduced to a new way of thinking. I have met people who have made decisions to do what they love and are successful at it. I've learned that sometimes the hardest step to take is the first one.

So far my steps have been very small. But little by little I know I will work my way down the path to the goal I'm working towards. Sure there maybe some failure along the way, but I'll never know what I can do if I never get out there and try.

"You are probably only one step away from greatness." ~Bob Proctor

Intentions

I am always planning, making lists, deciding I'm going to get something done and then the day ends and I haven't even started. Like this blog. I always intend to post something every single day. But I find myself looking for just the right quote or reading books to find just the right idea. Then I read this quote.

Small deeds done are better than great deeds planned. ~Peter Marshall

Wow, did that hit home. I need to quit planning to do big things and just focus on getting something done. I did take my own advice and posted today. My goal is to continue on through the day and see what I get done. I think it will feel better to know I've gotten a few small things finished than the feeling of failure I have when nothing I've planned to do is done.

Thoughts

"Change your thoughts and you change your world."
Norman Vincent Peale"

Over the last four months I have been working to study more, to focus more and to be more positive. I will admit there have been many days that I have failed horribly. But, what I have noticed is a change. Most of the time I see things more positively. I am trying to look for the good rather than becoming upset or frustrated.

I had noticed some differences in how I felt about my life but I really hadn't noticed a change until I read this quote and took the time to think about it. What I've been doing isn't hard, it just takes some time and willingness to change.

Daily Effort

Every year, high in the San Bernardino mountain range of Southern California, five acres of beautiful daffodils burst into bloom. Amazingly, this special spot, known as "The Daffodil Garden," was planted by one person, one bulb at a time, over a period of thirty-five years.

Every so often I receive an e-mail with this story in it. Today it was in my inbox. I'm not one to believe in chance. I needed to read this story again.

From the story: "The principle her daffodil garden taught is one of the greatest principle of celebration: learning to move toward our goals and desires one step at a time - often just one baby-step at a time - learning to love the doing, learning to use the accumulation of time.
When we multiply tiny pieces of time with small increments of daily effort, we too will find we can accomplish magnificent things. We can change the world."

Daily effort. That is so hard some times. There is always something to do, but does that effort lead you to your goal. I know that I need to be more focused each day, doing the small things, that will move me closer to my goal. I know what I want to do, now I just need to get busy!