Sometimes it seems as though the things we want are always just out of reach. Or it seems like the things we want to do are just too hard. I sometimes evaluate something and then say "nah, it's too hard. I'll fail." I might not give another go at it. Just give up.
A lot of things in life seem insurmountable. To others it's easy, but we just can't do it. What kid of attitude do we have about that? Discouragement, certainly. But sometimes we feel sheepish or humiliated. We don't want others to know of our failures. Of our inability to accomplish was we set out to do. We accept defeat, and often hide with it.
That's the kind of attitude I was addressing when I wrote "Poverty Prepping". The last line of the book is "It is only when you have done nothing that you have lost the battle." So many people I knew would not even start learning about preparedness or thinking about ways they could store things. They bemoaned the fact that they had nothing put by for hard times, so it's not like I was pushing the idea on them.
It's not just getting started that sometimes stalls us out. It's staying the course; working toward our goals. I taught piano for several years, and I could divide my students into two categories. One group would stumble in a piece of music and say "I'll never be any good at this", and the other group would say "I can do this". I encouraged both, but I wanted to try and be like the second group, in all areas of my life.
I'm not, though. I get discouraged and frustrated sometimes, and I feel like I'll never find an answer for a problem. I've been feeling that way since we got back from our trip to Kansas, where my husband's mother and sister lives. A planned two-week trip ended up being almost six week, after one of his sisters died, and then my Father-in-law had a stroke on the day of her funeral. Now that we're home, I'm overwhelmed with a tremendous amount of things to be done, and some of them I don't know what to do about. I froze in a state of inaction and just focused on daily or regular chores.
Last night I finished reading a book that has put me back on my feet. It's inspiring in a way I didn't expect. The book is about a man who has three times attempted to climb Mt. Elbrus in Russia. It's one of the "Seven Summits" that he is trying to conquer. Three times he went through months of training, and three times he made the journey to Russia to climb this mountain, with the best of gear and good guides.
Three times he failed to meet his goal. Not many of us have the endurance and determination he had, and my hat is off to
him for his perseverence. I feel more inclinded to push myself and pursue my
dreams after reading this book. He helped me realize that even if I don't
succeed, the journey is worth the effort.
If you would like to read the book, it's called "Elbrus, My Waterloo".
Even if you don't read the book, remember to always have hope. Always give it your best try. And try again if you have to. If the world collapses around you, stand up in the midst of the rubble and find something to do. Don't give up. Ever.
No comments:
Post a Comment