Do you remember what it's like to be a child? To run until you were out of breath and felt like you couldn't run anymore, to take every moment and make it magical, and the deep wonder you felt when you learned something new. Now think for a moment the Savior said "the greatest" in the kingdom of heaven, the Savior wasn't just blowing smoke he had a very valid point. The people in the world who are truly great people are those people who have the fervor and vigor of a little child. I remember the experience of learning to ride a bike being one of the most amazing feelings ever. That singular moment when you are up on your bike for the first time without training wheels, on your own, that moment feels like you are flying. So when was it that I lost that desire to learn and succeed? Do we just think that we know it all, that we can never learn to ride another metaphorical bike? How many times did you scrape your knee as a child, bump your head or fall off the monkey bars? Did you give up, did you let yourself hold on to the first failure? I believe that our childhood self is screaming out from within us, daring us to grab hold of something new and SUCCEED!
Over the years I have developed an almost crippling fear of failure. I want so deeply to succeed that any sign of failure will lead me to quit entirely before I have even begun. In this I am drawn back to the desire I had as a child to be amazing! Every challenge I faced I met with the mentality that I would eventually conquer this challenge. Now I'm not saying that as an adult you have to climb mount Everest or learn some crazy new skill. But I believe if we met life's challenges with the same vigor as a small child would meet a challenge, we would be hard pressed not to succeed.
For example, this new year we are all making some sort of resolution; either we want to loose weight, or get rid of some bad habits, we want to be more successful in school or in a career. Think though, how many times have we made a resolution but at the first sign of failure we just gave up on it entirely? I mean... do you remember last years resolution? Or were you so sick of giving up on resolutions that you didn't even make one? If you faced your resolution like your childhood self faced riding a bike I don't think you would mind when you got a few scrapes or bruises, because ultimately the fact of the matter is.... you knew you would succeed eventually.
The fact of the matter is NONE OF US ARE PERFECT, so in my opinion we would be doing ourselves a major disservice not to make a New Years resolution. This is the optimal time to make a change, the universe is pleading you to break out of the chains that you have put on yourself, and MOVE! We can't just settle for mediocrity! In 1973 Carl Sagan published “The Cosmic Connection: An Extraterrestrial Perspective” which included the following passage.
Our Sun is a second- or third-generation star. All of the rocky and metallic material we stand on, the iron in our blood, the calcium in our teeth, the carbon in our genes were produced billions of years ago in the interior of a red giant star. We are made of star-stuff.We haven't been made to be like some plain old rock and sit on the side of a mountain wondering weather or not our day will come when we can shine. We are made of the stuff of destiny, we are made of STAR STUFF. So in all reality we should find a way to "let [our] light so shine."
"But What if I Fail??"
We all think this is a great notion right? Nike says "just do it" but what happens when you mess up, what happens when you loose the will to "DO IT". I think the quality of a man isn't determined by how many times he succeeds in life, but by the amount of times he is willing to get back up and move forward. For me, I have set the goal to loose weight in a healthy fashion, I have set goals and made plans on how I can eat healthier, how I can get to the gym more, and ultimately how I can succeed in doing so. In all reality, my plans might fall through. I may slip up now and again, but slipping up and giving up are two different things. We only loose in the struggle when we have given up entirely. So fight, fight for your own success, fight to be like that little child and when you get a scrape on your knee or a bruise on your hand be determined to get back on that bike and ride. Because you aren't made for mediocrity my friend. You are made of the stuff of greatness, you are made of star-stuff, so this year, get out there and SHINE, and I will be right beside you working to outshine 'em all!
