This world is far from perfect…you don’t have to be a genius to see that. But, nevertheless, it contains many opportunities for fulfillment, advancement and achievement. Some people spend all their time criticizing…criticizing anything and everything, especially our culture and system of government. Even ancient Athens, home of so many great philosophers whose thoughts have lived through the ages, had serious defects as a culture, not the least of which was its lack of an adequate sanitary system. This lack of a sanitary system helped spread a terrible plague, which was largely responsible in destroying ancient Athens.
While some of this criticism may be quite valid, ours is also a culture of great opportunity. The frontiers are not all closed, in fact, we’re living in a time where we have more possibilities, more opportunities than at any other time in the history of our nation. There are over 850,000 self-made millionaires in America. Somewhere in America someone becomes a self-made millionaire every twelve minutes. But, we need to look for and more forward towards these new and exciting opportunities.
How?
1. Stay in the batter’s box and keep swinging. What I mean is that most people assume that you get three strikes and you’re out. Well, it just doesn’t have to be that way. You’re only out when you quit swinging and get out of the batter’s box. Let’s fact it, most people stop themselves from being successful. Stop worrying, make plans and move on them. If you stop, start again.
2. Stop putting yourself down. Too many people do this. Maybe you’re not a celebrity or a millionaire or a sports hero. That doesn’t matter. Sometimes people listen to the success stories of other people and say, “well, they can do that, but I can’t because….well, because I’m not like them, I can’t do that..” If you don’t accept yourself as you are you’ll never see the opportunities that are everywhere. Stop putting yourself down…you can do it.
3. Stand up to crisis. Simply don’t let them throw you off stride. Fight to stay calm and stay on track. In fact, a perceived crisis may be a great opportunity in disguise. But, if you run from it, you miss the opportunity and lower your self-esteem because you didn’t stand up when it counted. Remember the other crisis you’ve through. See in your mind the ones you’ve handled successfully, the one’s you’ve turned into opportunities for growth. Be true to yourself and don’t let yourself down.
Finally, one of the great opportunities in our lifetimes must be a direct attempt to build a respectful attitude towards ourselves. Refuse to be in an adversarial relationship with yourself. Remember, to live well, you must respect yourself.
Mack Newton
Copyright Mack Newton. All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reproduced in any form without the expressed written consent of the author.
