Aiming high

The one thing worth striving for is excellence. It is not something you can decide to be. Hard work will lead you towards the goal, but not necessarily to its attainment.

There are no degrees in this achievement. Something either is of that quality or it is not.  Good does not equal great, no matter what new math is used.

To excel means to go beyond. And many will see this as a threat, instead of a challenge. After all, only one can win.

Competition is healthy: it keeps everything at its best. Feelings cannot trump results. Desire is only good if it motivates you to succeed.

It is a sad fact that some fall by the wayside. Life will never be fair, and no one should expect it to. Ignoring our difficulties means never overcoming them.

Everyone struggles: some more than others. We all have obstacles in our path. Each can be passed, and one can go further to surpass until the sky is not a limit at all.  

Last one standing

Survival is all about endurance. How much of a beating can you take and still remain standing? Sometimes life packs quite a wallop, and it takes all you have just to stay in the fight.

To adapt, just means finding a way to endure. It’s all part of the fancy footwork needed to make it through. Reality has a harder time hitting a moving target.

Living takes quite a bit of stamina. When the adversity is greatest, you will find stores of energy you were not even aware of. Use them wisely if you expect to make it to the next round.

Remember, there are no rules. Life has no qualms with hitting below the belt. Take heed, lest it drop you like a sack of potatoes.

There is one way to win: endure. The world does not care if you fall. It will move your carcass to the side and carry on as if you had never even been.

Victory means standing against the onslaught. Fight for all you are worth, putting your very last breath into the struggle. If they have to take you out to take you down, then you have won.

Destruction deconstructed

It is easy to destroy. With the proper tools, even the tallest building can be brought down.  To build however, takes time, effort, and a creative vision.

What is this fascination people have with tearing down what others have made? They have nothing to offer, but will stomp the offerings of others into the ground. Is this born of envy or are they just plain mean?

They are quick to condemn and loath to commend. Their world must be a dark place indeed. And like a black hole, they are constantly trying to suck everyone into their nothingness.

Have you noticed that the least productive have the most advice? Those that can, do; those that can’t, criticize. And when they are gone, the world keeps turning.

We live in a cold place, and it is getting colder. It is because people don’t care. And everything freezes around them.

But there are those who still build, and even better those who build up others. Be one of them: become the warmth in a world of frozen hearts. Be the light that chases the darkness away. 

Sense of accomplishment

There is a sense of accomplishment in the completion of a work. The feeling becomes stronger when you think about what went into it. Hours of effort in a labor of love were required to produce the finished product.

Take satisfaction in a job well done. When you have done your best, you bear no shame. On the contrary, you are worthy of any accolades others feel fit to bestow.

Their reaction is an unknown. No matter how good your work is, that does not mean it will be appreciated.  However, it also does not mean it will be ignored.

Artists share their visions of beauty with others. They fervently hope what the eye beholds will be akin to what they imagined. Yet, we all see things differently.

Does this mean the work is a failure? No, because there are three sides to every story. The third one being the truth, opinions are set in their proper place.

Never let what a person thinks rob you of satisfaction.  Human beings esteem preferences far beyond their worth. That which is good exists without praise and will not take such vacillating concerns into account.

Trying times

If at first you don’t succeed, just keep trying. Failure is to be expected in any worthwhile pursuit. Too many are vying for the prize to even take notice of those who give up.

You must struggle to achieve a dream. And everything will stand in your way. Ignore the naysayers, and do what they would not.

Better yet, use their negativity as fuel. Let it stoke the fires within, filling you with the desire to achieve. Leave them in the dust, with their bitterness as company.

Many of those who have succeeded will attempt to discourage you. They do not want competition. Their desire is not to be the best, but rather to hold on to some ephemeral perch.

Success is not dependent on someone else’s failure. Shoving others down means there will be no one to pick you up. Light shines and we can always use more of it.

If you try and fail, you have not tried hard enough. You have not fought long enough. Determine where you are, and decide what you need to do to use your stumbling blocks to build a bridge. 

Life happens

Life is what happens while we are busy making plans. It is a pitcher with a penchant for throwing curves. Those who cannot adapt will not survive.

So, how does one keep up? You must expect the unexpected. Keep your eyes open, always aware of the dangers inherent in every day.

Your decisions will have a significant impact on how things turn out. Regardless of the chaos all around, one needs only a sense of direction to forge ahead. And it is better to light a candle, than to curse the darkness.

It is easy to stumble: there is so much stuff in the way. Start with cleaning your own house. We all have spiritual clutter, which needs to be discarded from time to time.

If you are tripping all over it, then a little spring cleaning is in order. If you are slipping on it, melt the ice and mop up the mess. The chaos without should never find its way in.

Nothing goes according to plan, but that is not an excuse for laziness. If you fail to plan, plan to fail. Rather, once all things are considered, realize the reality will be less of a straight line and more of a struggle to get to the other side. 

The audacity of hope

Hope springs eternal. It is really annoying. Even when things are at their worst, there is always that little voice saying it could get better.

I live my life dealing with life. It is easier when you have accepted it will not improve. Hope is a nuisance that gets in the way, compounding the problem with its dreams of tomorrow.

During my short time here, I have seen the world deteriorate rapidly. What once was merry has turned into misery. Yet, hope keeps popping in like an unwanted guest.

I would love to see the world improve, but that is a fantasy. I write such things, but try not to live them. Yet that pesky little hope persists, like a ringing in the ear.

Most people do not care, but there are those that do. And now, I realize where hope comes from: this small group of troublemakers who will not just let it die. If they would just let things be, the curtain would mercifully fall.

Yet, to deny their contribution would not be reality. They make a difference in their own little way. And so, I am convinced the audacity of hope will continue, like a recording that continually skips, promising better days to come.