Life is clearly filled with uncertainty. It is impossible regardless of how intensely precise planning may be done, to know what the next day or for that matter the next couple of hours will bring. Fortune, folly, laughter or sadness are among the results that may be encountered. An unknown poet perhaps said it best: “Life itself can’t give you joy, unless you really will it. Life just gives you time and space, it’s up to you to fill it.”
American author and reporter Harrison E. Salisbury once said, “There is no shortcut to life. To the end of our days, life is a lesson imperfectly learned.” Learning those lessons produces the harsh reality that we allow things to happen or we in turn make things happen. With that in mind, there are four avenues of disruption that if not held in check will complicate our ability to gain from life what we should and leave the legacy we would want others to view. Those avenues are: perfection; pride; petulance; and, power.
Perfection has for most of man’s existence been a quality that is often sought. The challenge is that it is virtually unattainable. Still too many embark daily striving to reach perfection in every activity. Your refusal to accept less than a flawless circumstance brings about stress, a rebuttal interactive attitude with others, and a false reality of what life provides. While imperfection is not a recommended quality to attain, striving so diligently for perfection in one’s actions can cause a shortfall in focus and a disregard for any learning opportunities. Therefore, striving to always provide your best effort and understanding that your best may not be perfect, may allow for a more acceptable reality to arise. Nevertheless, perfection can paralyze if allowed to dictate your sole perception of reality.
Pride has its own virtue. It is both a strength and weakness. Its strength comes in enabling its possessor to fundamentally press forward to gain a competitive edge or achieve critical goals. Its weakness comes in blinding its bearer to clearly see current reality or the futility of an endeavor. The true essence of its certainty is whether or not its value is properly utilized. As author, scholar and rabbi Robert Gordis pointed out, “Pride is a deeply rooted ailment of the soul. The penalty is misery; the remedy lies in the sincere, life-long cultivation of humility, which means true self-evaluation and a proper perspective toward past, present and future.”
Petulance hinders viable solutions. Acting like a spoiled child when you do not get your way is no pathway to build a lasting legacy. You may have enjoyed success in virtually every endeavor undertaken. However, there will come a time when that success will be sidetracked or even questioned. Allowing yourself to place your ego in a position superior to your professional intelligence in these matters will most assuredly deny you of the growth necessary for quality personal and leadership development. As noted French writer, lawyer and diplomat Joseph de Maistre once said, “It is one of man’s curious idiosyncrasies to create difficulties for the pleasure of resolving them.”
Power has been known to influence some toward corruption and advance others toward responsibility. As American financier and oilman Henry Latham Doherty said, “A great man is one who can have power and not abuse it.” How you choose to utilize the power you have been given or you have been able to obtain can most often determine your course in life and its influence on the greater good. Despite its potential, with power and its authority most often comes resistance. Resistance as a result of other’s fear or experience with power and its nature. However that same power directed to improve circumstances, inspire discovery and achieve common goals can in turn negate limitations too often placed on accomplishment and genuineness. This in turn can more effectively influence doubters to visualize power in a more legitimate perspective. Thus you must understand that directed or misdirected someone is always in control. As the famous Greek General Pittacus proclaimed, “The measure of man is what he does with power.”
Life does present different horizons. It has many rules but empowers few to see that the rules are applied fairly. Life’s impact comes in how you choose to live it and to express it. As was once said, “You can either be squirrel food or the seed of a mighty tree.” Conquer the avenues of disruption and gain the best of life for yourself.
Think BIG! Coaching and Training, Inc.
Herman Dixon
Author, Speaker, Executive Advisor
P. (304) 839-5101
Thoughts to Think BIG! 