Do you ever wonder how some people just seem to be able to succeed at whatever they do? Or have you ever tried to figure out how some people manage to reach and exceed their goals? Even more importantly, ever thought: “I could never do ______ because ______?” Today, I want to talk about you are stronger than you think and challenging yourself can be fun.
I have often wondered how people can exceed and surpass unsurmountable odds and uphill battles to accomplish great things or survive the inconceivable. I once heard a story of a set of adult twins who lived very different lives. One of them was very successful and driven. The other was an alcoholic. When each twin was asked why they had the life they currently lived, each one responded with the same answer: “Because my mother/father was an alcoholic.” Why is that? How did two children raised the same way at the exact same time give the identical answer with very different results? This story has always stuck with me. Do I have the answer? Unfortunately no. But what I do know is that if given a choice of which life I would choose between these two twins, I would choose the successful and driven twin every time.
One of my children was born with a physical challenge. While it was neither life threatening nor did it make my child sick, what it did do was make life busy with many doctors appointments and one child was left out of the spotlight. This was part of our life and we all made it through. My children have always been vastly different from one another. That is due to personality and characteristics. I love them both equally. Now that both of my children are in adulthood, I wonder, if asked how come they are where they are today, if either of them would say it was because of what they went through as a child. Disclaimer: Neither of my children are alcoholics. LOL.
I have always been internally driven with most things. As a child I had a Bobby Orr 200-piece puzzle that I did over and over again. Each time I did it I would try to beat my last time. As an adult at work I set myself goals to get certain tasks accomplished by a certain date/time without mistakes. When I go on walks in the neighbourhood, I have an app on my phone that tracks how far I have gone, and I set goals with how far I am going to walk before I can go home. I cannot help it. It is who I am. What shaped me as an adult was going through all of my child’s appointments, setbacks and accomplishments. Many people asked me how I could deal with everything. The answer for me was always simple: “What choice did I have?” I needed to endure in order to carry on and make it through. I had two children to set an example for. Were there tears and frustrations? Absolutely. Were there setbacks and disappointments? Many. A lot of times when those instances happened I had to dig deep inside myself to stand up, take a deep breath and put one foot in front of the other. I couldn’t worry about what was going to happen in two months, six months or 10 years. I had to deal with that particular moment in time and get through it.
Another thing I want to share with you is that my faith is the biggest constant of my life. Even though I have failed, made huge mistakes, made bad choices and let others down, my faith is my rock and my moral compass. I am a flawed individual. I do not claim to have all the answers. I do not think poorly of others who do not make the same choices as I would. We are all on our own journey. I hope you don’t hold my faith against me or scoff at me for my choices as I don’t for you. Just because we don’t agree doesn’t mean we can’t agree to disagree.
The takeaway I have for you today is that when life throws you another lemon….I hope you dig deep and squeeze it for all it is worth and that you get magnificent lemonade. If it is sour, add a little sweetness by leaning on those friends and family that love and support you.
