Author: Jim Gohrick (Page 112 of 159)

If not now, when? If not me, then who?

There’s no doubt we can justify any behavior in order to continue to tell your own story of why now is not the right time in order for us to remain in our cozy safe haven of stagnation.

“I’m not ready. The circumstances aren’t right. I need more information before moving forward. Let me read one more book first. I’ll start tomorrow. I need a partner. I’m too young. I’m too old. After I lose the weight. When I’m in shape. I’ll start next week. Next month. Next year. When I’m dead. When ‘they’ come knock on my front door and tell me I’m ready, show me how to do it and make sure I know the results before starting.”

Unfortunately, that’s not how it works.

It reminds me of Hollywood. To me, their approach is this: we want to create the next big thing, but we don’t want to take the risk of failing. So, let’s reboot some old franchise that was somewhat successful and throw more money at it. Because we can make up for the lack of creativity by casting bigger stars.

We’ve all seen how that works.

The truth is there are no guarantees. But, there is something to say about someone who wants to risk being better today than yesterday, learning more, evolving, striving for big goals and risking failure. That’s right Failure. Actually, it’s not failure. It’s a result. If you don’t like the result try it again. And again. And again. We can get frozen in fear because we don’t want to fail. However, the only way we can learn, grow and evolve is by getting life experiences under our belts. The only way you can gain life experiences, is by doing.

And here’s the secret . . . merely begin.

As we look back on our year, let’s make sure we give ourselves credit where credit is due and take responsibility for the things we could have done better. There’s no guilt. No shame. It’s life. We learned. We grew.

As the old sage’s say, “You can never step in the same stream twice.” The way I comprehend that, is even if you cross the stream at the exact same place as you did the time before, the water that you’re passing through is not the same water from your previous trip. It’s fresh water from upstream. They are new circumstances. Such is life.

Now we get a fresh start. I love fresh starts. I love morning sunrises, fresh powder, new note pads, blank canvas, I love them all. It’s a way to start from scratch and do your best to strive for perfection once again. Sure, you’ll never be perfect, but I like shooting for it.

Let’s start fresh with the wisdom of this past year within us. No strings with limitless potential.

Remember: Anything can be the gateway to everything.

What I don’t mean is to speak slightingly of someone or to cause someone to seem little or less. What I’m referring to is your footprint. It pays to be humble. To not make a fuss. Not be dramatic and attract attention to oneself. I was taught at a young age to keep your head down and mind your own work/business.

I played a lot of sports growing up and I never talked trash to any of the other players. There were probably several reasons why, but I never felt the need to do that. My stance was that I was going to let my play do the talking. The scoreboard. Not my mouth. Besides, in sports the game is never over until it’s over, so I found no sense in saying anything after a bucket when the next time down the floor the other team may score a layup. It didn’t jive with me.

It would seem nowadays, there is a choreographed celebration dance after every tackle in the NFL. It’s their job. I’m not saying I don’t like enthusiasm. In fact I love it. But, it would seem there is a lot of focus on the one-self – the individual instead of the whole.

Let’s have fun. Let’s celebrate life, no doubt as it is a miraculous thing. But, let’s remember, we’re all in this thing together. As Barry Sanders’ (retired NFL Running Back) Mother told him when he was a kid after scoring a touchdown, “Act like you’ve been there before and that you’re coming back.” After scoring one of his 109 touchdowns, I never saw him even spike the ball. He would always just hand or toss the ball to the ref as to say, “Don’t worry, I’ll be back.”

There’s no doubt, having gratitude for the myriad of things in your life can only make everything better, don’t forget to give yourself some latitude as well.

Forgiving yourself for the mistakes and missteps you’ve taken can be just as important as we move through our daily activities doing our best to learn, grow and evolve.

As well as being able to refine your skills as we have more life experiences and discovering who we are and what is important to us. We cannot be afraid of making mistakes. You can call them unwanted results. There is no other way to learn other than putting forth an effort and trying something you might think will work. If it doesn’t, oh well, try again. And don’t stop until you get the results you want.

But, don’t beat yourself up along the way. Love yourself for who you are, but be fair and honest as well. We need as many people in our life to support us as we all make this world a better place. That includes yourself.

Whether it’s your 13th birthday or your 53rd, let’s celebrate where we are and what we have in our lives today.

Maybe it’s as simple as celebrating the fact you have full-time employment or that you have the legs to take you for a run. It could be enough to acknowledge your mind is clear to think about your day and how you can contribute to the world.

It doesn’t take much to celebrate. Again, it’s just a choice.

Choosing to celebrate a sunrise isn’t a futile event. It’s a moment to express your gratitude for the many details in our lives that keep us bewildered.

Why not find something or someone to celebrate in your life today. After all, who doesn’t like a good party.