A Series of Victories

“Victory is always possible for the person who refuses to stop fighting.”

Napoleon Hill

“Accept the challenges so that you can feel the exhilaration of victory.”

George S. Patton

“You will find peace not by trying to escape your problems, but by confronting them courageously. You will find peace not in denial, but in victory.”

J. Donald Walters

Today was all about getting things done.  Now they’re done and I can relax soon.  I’m so tired.  I just want to sleep, but more than tired, I’m determined to reach my goals.   I can’t reach them by skipping my work.  I desperately want to reach my goals and maybe that’s part of the problem.  I’m very good at berating myself for my failures.  And it’s true that I have tried, many times, to take shortcuts.  That always made things take longer.  I was going to list the shortcuts in bullet form such as not doing my homework or doing the least amount of work I had to do to keep from getting fired.  But writing that list would just discourage me.

Instead I think I’ll list the things in life I’ve done well, things I’m proud of:

·      Over 330 blogs in less than a year

·      Finishing college

·      Getting a Master’s Degree

·      Finishing the training period of the California Conservation Corps

·      Leading youth groups

·      Teaching hundreds of adult students, many of whom still remember me years later

·      Writing hundreds of resumes

·      Encouraging hundreds of people

·      Publishing a book

·      Having good friends

·      Cleaning my trunk

The point of that list is not to brag because most people have a list far more impressive.  The point is to remember that life can be viewed as a series of victories.  Yes, there have been setbacks and defeats, but so what.  I’ve done some things in this life that make me proud, happy, grateful and humble.  Humble, because I feel my victories have been a gift from God.

So tomorrow, when I wake up I’d like to start the morning with gratitude.  Instead of worrying that I’m not where I want to be in life, I’d like to be thankful for where I’ve been and where I am.   This doesn’t mean I’m going to forsake my goals.  In fact, this kind of thinking reminds me that I’ve reached difficult goals before and I can reach them again.

That’s all.  I just need to Get Started and Keep Going…and be grateful for a series of triumphs.