Climb

It's just week three of the semester, and I feel that in some ways, my back is up against the wall.  Just this week, I have had to prepare for discussions in four different classes, as well as make a 25-minute presentation for one of them.  At the same time, I'm tying up the loose ends of a Fulbright application, all while balancing work and relationships.  I also might be hearing about a virtual internship for this semester, something that would stretch my workload another five to ten hours per week.  The 90-degree late summer day isn't helping, either.  I did manage to go to the gym today, but it was more a session of running and rowing whatever stress that I felt out of my system.  By the time Friday afternoon rolls around, I should be pretty plum-tuckered.

At the same time, I'm not complaining.  In the quest to become a "better man," I'm proud of what I have managed to accomplish today, and I'm confident that I can complete at least everything for tomorrow.  These are the kinds of weeks where we discover our true characters.  Even when we feel that the walls are collapsing on us, we must take a moment to take a deep breath.  Lay out all the cards.  Look at the hand you've been dealt, and consider the potential variables that could beat you.  Make a list of everything you need to do in the next 24 hours, and imagine climbing a rock wall.  Every task you complete in the short term is another step up that wall.  If one piece of rock is too hard to reach, Take breaks, if you must:  work for twenty minutes, rest for five.  By the end, of course you will be tired:  however, all the work you put in now will pay off in the end.

Often we get frustrated because the work that we put into something does not yield any fruit.  Indeed, many of us quit after failing to invent the light bulb the first time.  Remember from an earlier post that Thomas Edison failed 1,000 times to create a light bulb before he developed the first one.  We have to accept that we will fail, and that those around us also fail.  Failure is part of life, but it does not serve as an end to a journey; rather, it should motivate you to either try something new or something else.  Remember why you took on the task to begin with, and let that motivate you to continue.  Is the goal in mind worth another climb?

For me, I reflect on the stress of today and this blog entry and give a "yes" to everything that I'm currently working on.  Win or lose, I will finish this Fulbright application and have it ready for next week.  This presentation that I have tomorrow is in the process of being done, and will be done even if I have to go into the wee hours of the morning to finish it.  I will give four good hours of English lessons tonight, focusing on giving the students the tools that they need to work beyond me and to achieve their goal:  fluency.  I will not falter in the movement towards a master's degree, a stable job, or a better life.  All of it has value in my mind, and I will continue to climb until I have reached everything that I can.

Take a moment to think about your tasks for the near future.  Focus all your energy for now on the finish line, thinking about the satisfaction of having finished your task. However, after just a few moments of satisfaction, start to build your campaign.  You can't finish until you know how you're going to finish.  Make sure your steps are short, yet logical.  Even if you have 20 things to finish in the next day, outlining every detail of your quest is a satisfying exercise.  Finally, I've included a clip at the end of this entry from one of my favorite movies of all time, Friday Night Lights.  Listen to Coach Gaines' words as he motivates his team to rally back from a difficult first half of football.  For us, it is the same:  with "clear eyes" and "love in our hearts," let us continue our climb to the top, and overcome our challenges this week!