It's Tuesday morning, and the alarm rings somewhere in my dream bringing me out into another morning. The first choice - to snooze or not to snooze? Shakespeare asked a similar question, but mine is much more relative. The first day after, the first day of the new week, is often the "dead" day in the week. It's a, just-get-me-through-this, mentality that seems to pervade. However, somewhere in Tuesday is a great lesson. Tuesday is just a name given to a day in the week, and whatever importance or non-importance I assign to it, is what it will be. It is what we do with this day called Tuesday that is important, that is why we ought discipline ourselves in in the practice of patience, perseverance, and persistence.
Those three words are some of the most inspiring words in our language. They allow us to deal with life on life's terms, and know that everyday might not be sunshine and lollipops, rainbows and lemon drops, but it can be put to use purposefully. The black cloud only hangs over my head when I allow.
Patience is a practice that many pray for, but never figure out. Prayers are often said in vein, "God give me patience!" Simply put, patience is something you do, not that you have. Patience isn't one man's gift and an other's foil. Patience is a choice. Patience is looking deep within and asking yourself, how do I want to feel? If I want to lack patience, I will experience the corresponding emotions - anger, frustration, and irritability. If I choose patience, I also get the corresponding emotions: peace, usefulness, and compassion. When we practice patience, we open our ears, and hear others in an entirely new way. We are looking for the words between the words, and seeing where we can be of most assistance.
The woman without the pen, using the check book, in the 20 items or less line, becomes not a nuisance, but rather someone we lend our pen to, someone we ask if they need help getting their groceries to their car, someone we ask "how can I be of assistance?"
Perseverance is one of my favorite words, because it shows the mettle we are made of, it shows our dedication to whatever we are pursuing with passion and desire. It shows the willingness we posses to endure during the tough times, as well as the good times. People who persevere are some of our greatest leaders, as long as they emerge from the embers a roaring fire when the time is right. People who in this position share with us their stories of how they got through those rough moments in their life, how they managed to see optimism under the darkest of circumstances.
Many years ago I faced some of the darkest moments of my life. I was at that beautiful cliche known as the cross-roads. One direction lead to my ultimate demise, and the other to a very scary but life changing unknown. Only through what I can deem Divine intervention can I say that I chose the scary path of redemption and possibility. I certainly was so soot covered and charred from the life I was living; my best thinking, without the aid of something greater than me, could only have chosen demise. The path of perseverance is not easy, and most people quit just feet before the break-though line. Always so close, and yet somewhere inside they lack the self-esteem, worth, value to finish. People who persevere finish!
The persistence of the finisher is what separates him or her from the quitter. The word quitter is harsh, but many of us fall into this category, and at some point in life we all choose to quit, instead of persevere. However, it is because of practice and discipline that the person who finishes what they start becomes so good at persevering. The duration of time finishers spend in problems becomes less and less, and they learn to move immediately to solutions, immediately to action, and immediately to opportunities. They do not see the challenge posed by life as obstacles but rather as questions to solved, riddles to be unraveled, lions to be tamed.
Any one of us can become accomplished in the 3P's. It doesn't take any special character or upbringing. What it takes is a choice to unlearn past habits. What it takes is a choice to do something different - to react different, to flip the rubric's cube to the other side, and see what's going on. Life cannot be mastered by looking at things from one side. We must choose the 3P's. We must choose to be disciplined in our thoughts and actions. We must think before we speak, and act. We must harmonize and tune in our beliefs, our words, and our actions.
Until next time, be well and live inspired,
Michael
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