As we all have bad habits, I find this thought from the oldest paper in my pocket (containing thoughts from more than two years ago!) to be fitting.
Nathan Roundy is a manager at the BYU Laundry where I used to work, and an LDS bishop. We had been talking about overcoming challenges in our lives, and he said, "Even if you fail over and over and over, it's never failure until you give up on yourself." I'm sure all of us have tried over and over to defeat some one inclination or habit or addiction, only to fail and fail again. But, if we hold tight to the thought of overcoming, if we refuse to give up, we can win in the end. We just need to have faith in ourselves and work until our guts dry up. And no, I don't know what that phrase means exactly. But the point remains, and is still valid, that most of the time we fail to overcome our challenges because there is a part of us that doesn't really believe we can, that almost wants us to fail because it is easier than working for success. That part of us which is not really content to stay where he is, but is too afraid to change, is the voice which whispers to us that it is all right to give up after we fail once, or twice, or a thousand times. He is miserable and wants company in his misery, and true failure is agreeing with him. True failure is giving in and giving up, because to accept mediocrity is to accept our own damnation.
3 comments:
I saw an anti-smoking billboard that went something like "I didn't. I didn't. I didn't. I didn't. I didn't. I didn't. I didn't. I didn't. I didn't. I didn't. I didn't. I Did It." I really liked the try and try again message.
-A
Correction to my post: I saw the billboard again and it doesn't say "I didn't" it says "I can do it." Not quite as cool as I remembered it, but more positive, I guess.
-A
Hey Jordan,
That is awesome! What a good thought and fitting for so many different habits. Thanks for sharing!
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