Failures Will Quickly Fade

To put a number on the number of failures I've had in life would be difficult to count. From failing a conversation to a test to personal hopes, I've failed. Once nice thing is that most of the ones that I have failed at, I hardly remember. They tend to become a blur as I deal with the here-and-now and not think about the other failures.

If I were to guess, I'd bet you would have the same types of "memories" as I do. That brings us to this week's quote...

There are no more committed people on the planet than surfers. We fall down a lot. We turn around, paddle back out, and do it over and over again. Unlike anything else in life, the stoke of surfing is so high that the failures quickly fade from memory. - Surfer, Gary Sirota

I would guess that with each outing a surfer goes through, there are going to be about a 5-1 ratio of falls to "rides." That is just a wild guess, since Kansans do not do much surfing. However, to think about how many times they go out and how many times they fall off, there has to be a huge number of times the fall happens. However, I doubt they think about it much, for they just get back on and paddle out.

For you and I, to have times in our lives where we simply fail, we are challenged to get back on the surf board, paddle out and ride the wave again.

I challenge you to not give up, but rather keep getting back on the surf board and looking for the next wave to ride. It may be the biggest one that's ever been ridden, yet!

HANG TEN, DUDE!

Now it's your turn...You may know nothing about surfers, but what do you think about their commitment?

Who Won in 1988?

In America, the month of March is quite busy because of the phenomenon that has been dubbed "March Madness".  There are sixty-four NCAA Division I basketball teams that start the playoff toward a "national champion".  It is probably the best time to watch college basketball because every game every team must play hard.  One loss and you're out.  Hopes shattered. For some, no more next year.

This month can be quite "maddening" because of all the games that are played, especially the first few rounds. Of course, with each round the total number is reduced by half.  One of the fun things about the tournament is that sometimes a team who was not supposed to do well will do well (even if they don't win it all).  They upset team after team, tossing dreams to the curb.  

As "March Madness" is focused a lot on winning and losing, life also can be like that.  This thought brings us to this week's quote...

The wonderful thing about the game of life is that winning and losing are only temporary...unless you quit.  ~ Dr. Fred Mills

Do you recall who won the National Championship in 1988?  If you live in Kansas you do (hint).  I remember it also because, being an Oklahoma University fan, they were beat out by Kansas University for that prized possession.  

If you don't remember the winner of 1988, then what about 1991, 1996, 1983, 2002?  I don't know without looking them up.  Even then I may not remember that particular team winning.  The idea of those victories are important to the players, fans, and the school, but most people treat it as a "here now, gone tomorrow" kind of thing.  

Life seems so important in the present.  However, oftentimes we will look back at something and think it was not as important as it seemed at the time.  Though it may feel important to someone to win and frustrate you to lose, all those are temporary.  Even if you lose your place in line, it is just a temporary inconvenience.  When, or if, you quit, that is where problems can come about because now you're not going anywhere.  Don't quit...keep going...look to the future!

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