I was talking to my cousin about getting old yesterday. He’s about ten years older than I am and his hair is white, but he is healthy and fit. We were discussing the detriments of old age such as hearing and vision loss, and the stiffness, aches and near constant pain of arthritis, etc. He told me that he believes it is far better to reach a point whereby we realize that we aren’t 21 anymore and that these things just come with old age and we should just suck it up and not spend every afternoon in the doctor’s office trying to get a new pill, Cortisone shot, or knee. He told me by implementing this strategy he’s been able to essentially “get used to” the aches and pains, etc. associated with the old age dilemma and carry on his life without it dominating his every thought every minute of the day.
One of the things I have listed as a foundational character trait for achieving success for my Success Seminar later this year is being resilient and tenacious. His attitude is an excellent, real life example of someone possessing this trait and using it to succeed. Not surprisingly he has achieved tremendous success in nearly every area of his life. He rose from the most humble of beginnings, eating peanut butter and crackers while working odd jobs to pay his own way through college. He graduated, went on to get an MBA, and then similarly worked just as hard to achieve business success of such a magnitude that it set him up for life.
From the outset he could have sat around singing, “Poor little ol’ me”, and felt sorry for himself because he had a tough life as a youngster and couldn’t afford to go to college. Had he done so I believe that he would have probably ended up poor and a failure.
Although I have listed a total of ten absolutely essential character qualities, aside from having God as the number one priority in our lives, I believe being able to persevere is without question the next most essential element. Success in this fallen world simply does not come without it. Too many people just give up on themselves and life.
I was in a business meeting the other day and after the meeting, this person surprised me by telling me that they had read my book. I didn’t know he even knew that I had written an autobiography much less read it. He remarked that he picked up on and understood how God had been so instrumental in shaping my life, but he was absolutely amazed at how resilient I was throughout my tumultuous life and how I had fought through tremendous adversity that few ever experience. I grinned and remarked that indeed I have taken my share of lickings, but somehow had managed to keep on ticking.
The way I look at it we have a choice. We can allow the conditions around us to get us down and immobilize us, or we can do as my cousin stated, and ignore our aches and pains and just “suck it up” and keep moving.
I receive a ton of mail from folks that just seem to want sympathy. Jeez, I’m tempted to tell them to go to the grocery store and buy a cupcake, stick a candle in it, and sing a sad song for themselves already. I all but guarantee that it will be the world’s smallest pity party. Small, because no one will attend but them, because no one wants to hear all of their problems. We all have problems too, and some folk’s problems make ours mild in comparison.
God told Adam, (and through him – us), that because of our sin we will work by the “sweat of our brow” and that our lives will be “short and difficult” and we will have to fight our way through “the thorns and the thistles” and “we will die and return to the dust from which we were formed”.
Yikes!
Calm down – Not to worry – God also said that if we trust in Him we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. Even though the entire world groans under God’s curse, He has made a way for those who love Him and are willing to surrender to Him to succeed. We can enjoy peace and joy, but we have to persevere through “stuff”. Look beyond it today, and focus on success won’t you…
Isaiah 41:10
So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.