Upon being asked about the ups and downs of his career, Kevin Costner merely replied, “I’m living a life”.
What an absolutely profound statement.
We spend our days valuing each success and judging each failure, whether it’s our relationships, or projects or our business and many times we forget that we are living a life. They are what they are. Each are a natural part of the journey we are all upon. We all travel different roads to the destinations we have hoped for ourselves.
Robert Frost defined the path to success in his life as “the road less traveled” and he stated that to him that was what had made all the difference.
We must face the fact no one reaches their objective without some forms of adversity. In our leadership training, we emphasize that adversity is a big part of what develops us. Those who embrace the pain of growth grow, while those who do not have less than stellar results over time. Rather than fight it, why not accept it as part of our lives? Detaching your emotions from the outcome helps you experience life more fully.
Spencer Johnson wrote in his book, Peaks and Valleys, “if you’ve never been in the valley, the view from the mountain is not as breathtaking.”
I would encourage you to feel the pain and savor the happiness. There is no victory without battle and struggle. There are no real failures in life, only results. There are no true tragedies, only lessons.
There are no real problems, only opportunities for growth.
I’d love for you to leave your comments on these things:
What’s the single best thing that your life has taught you?
Who would you be if you did not know who you were?
What does greatness look like in your life?
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