Keep Moving

"You must accept that you might fail; then, if you do your best and still don’t win, at least you can be satisfied that you’ve tried. If you don’t accept failure as a possibility, you don’t set high goals, you don’t branch out, you don't try – you don’t take the risk."

— Rosalynn Carter: Former first lady and author

"People become really quite remarkable when they start thinking that they can do things. When they believe in themselves, they have the first secret of success."

— Norman Vincent Peale: Author, The Power of Positive Thinking

I guess its true to say you have to have enough chance of failure to increase your chance of success... You have to believe in yourself enough to take the risk in the first place and, when you do fail, believe in yourself enough to try again.

Reckon that's true in all aspects of life... at work (we are obsessed with work culture and achievement based measures of success), at home, in family, at play... The road to true success is marked with failures and the determination to try again.

But what is success?

What makes us say "I bet s/he's successful!" Is it the flash car, the big house, the executive penthouse, the waterfront offices... s/he could be a crook! Or do we perceive that s/he is a person of character and influence; someone people look up to and follow; a person of example; someone you can trust? Is success a product of achievement or a product of character?

It's probably a mixture of both, isn't it?...

It takes character to try something new. It takes character to fail and try again.

If you can keep your head when all about you
__ Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
__ But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
__ Or being lied about don't deal in lies,
Or being hated don't give way to hating,
__ And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
__ If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
__ And treat these two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
__ Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,
__ And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
__ And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
__ And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
__ To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
__ Except the will which says to them 'Hold on!'

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
__ Or walk with Kings-nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
__ If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
__ With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
__ And-which is more-you'll be a Man, my son!

Rudyard Kipling (c)

Never, never, never give up! Keep moving...

Insight Ideas Impact

Went to a Christmas show at a local church. Not the usual nativity and carols. A musical. A story. A social commentary. A challenge. An insight...perhaps?...

When I come in from the cold and turn up the heating, or light up the fire...
When I hang up the stockings and drink mulled wine and raise a toast to the season and all it's benefits...
When I climb into bed and kiss goodnight, and pull up the duvet, and close my eyes knowing she'll still be there when I wake...
When I sleep in safety behind lock and key and awaken refreshed, confident with anticipation...
When I'm at home with my family, enjoying the Christmas fair, before dragging the presents from under the tree to reveal the gifts of unfettered generosity...
When I snooze by the fire, just because I can...

Will I remember those for whom Boxing Day will be living in a box? Will I even spare a thought?

Who are these people without a home? How did they get there? What went wrong? Young and old - somebody's daughter, somebody's son; maybe a father, maybe a mum. Each with a story, each with a name. But what can I do? It's not my problem?

What would I think of me, if I were them? What do I think as I walk on by? What should I think?... What could I do?...

Now I have an insight from a Christmas show - weak and romantic and not meant to offend but challenge it has and caused me to think. What can I do?

Ideas follow insight if you add some intention... What could I do?

One good idea could change the world - an impact... Could I do that...?

Could I have an impact on somebody's world? Could I make a difference to somebody's day?

Could I? I'm sure I could if I cared to follow insight in search of ideas. If I dared to be intentional and pursue those ideas. I'd sure have an impact in somebody's world and, you never know, that somebody might just make a difference me...

Hey, it's just a thought... :-)

I was visiting Edinburgh - a family trip. Just a couple of days to see the sights. We walked to the stop to wait for the tour bus and a few yards away a guy sat on the street and held out a hand. Under a blanket, he tried to keep warm. Some people dropped coins as they hurried along - too busy to stop but "every little helps." A lady stooped down and gave him some cakes - muffins I think. He must be cold I thought. A touch on my arm, my wife had an idea! Buy him a coffee to go with his muffins. Where will I get coffee and what about the bus? A sign up the street: 'Fair Trade Coffee served here.' Okay, I'm going - just don't miss the bus! One hot coffee some milk and some sugar brought back to guy still sat by the side. I have to engage now - I can't just stroll by. Here, I got you some coffee I hope you enjoy. Back at the bus stop my family are bouncing: Dad, we just missed the bus. My wife can't stop laughing. My kids are frantic. I just think to myself, I hope I made a difference and showed that I cared?...

Cyber Thoughts

To the best of my knowledge this is my first "blog!" Would I know if I'd been in 'blogland' before? I'm not even sure I know why I'm even here... I proper hope I don't end up filling the internet with pages of drivel - there's more than enough of that around!

Why blog?... what's the point really...? Are people really interested in what other people are saying or thinking? And, why aren't they exchanging their ideas in the company of friends at their local watering-hole? Do people really have 'cyber friends' they've never met? Why is that? Are the neighbourhoods we live in sooo bad that we can't make friends nearby? Instead we create a kinda cyber-voyeur world where we can be as real or surreal as we want to be - transparent or create a fantasy persona. We can say whatever we like and if anyone pushes back...we can choose to take it or leave it... and what in the world is online social networking all about?...

Okay, so I've got a few questions about the what's going on 'back-stage' in this strange world of personal internet and social-networking... but now I've dared to venture out of uninformed opinion on a journey to cyber enlightenment...

Geronimo!