Born the third of four girls in my family, I learned to be a fighter. I’m not sure how much is nature versus nurture. It’s surely a little of both.
I wasn’t ever first in line by default.
If I wanted to be first, I had to make some noise. I wasn’t the prettiest, the most talented, the most well behaved (ha!), or even the worst behaved. I was in the middle. I learned that if you want to make anything happnen, it requires a huge amount of effort. You can’t mention it once, then sit back and watch everything fall into place.
You have to work harder, fight longer, and NEVER give up.
I was reminded of this on a recent trip with my family. Two of my sisters and I got in those crazy, inflatable, floating balls on top of a swimming pool. It wasn’t meant to be a competition, but of course, everything always is. We were fighting with all our strength to see who could stand, run or even walk. None of us could do any of it.
But I couldn’t quit.
I kept getting up and falling hard. Flipping and flopping, side to side, front to back. It was painful and exhausting. I was hot and sweaty, but not about to quit until they drug me out of the water.
I had the will to fight.
That’s a story of simple pride of course, but it’s a great visual of what happens when you commit to do something that matters and has a positive impact on others. When you come to the inevitable moment when you realize it’s beyond your ability to make it happen, it awakens a determination inside of you to become more than you were.
Promising to do things that matter, for some external beneficiary, that are beyond your ableness to do, awakens will to become. ~ Carol Sanford
It’s true of being a parent, a partner, a friend, a colleague, a spouse, a volunteer, a responsible shopper, an entrepreneur, and on and on. If you’re comitted to a purpose that’s bigger than you, it will wake up your will.
You’ll find the strength to keep going.
You’ll grow, stretch and learn. You’ll make a way.
What are you comitted to doing?
What matters enough to you to awaken the will to become?
Even if you can’t answer that question right now, I bet you have an idea. I’m convinced if you’re open, you’ll feel a pull toward doing something that matters.
It’s worth it to fight to become.
To more love,
Crystal
