Monday 6 September 2010

The First Step


I was amazed yesterday in so many ways some I will share some, I will keep to myself. That is life. It was though a day of amazing events. I had a day with many milestones. As a runner I am aware of things like milestone, yesterday while running I passed six of them and then while out walking I passed another six. I do not of course mean that I passed actual markers, than goodness the roads and country are not blighted by too many of those. I do though have a watch that records my runs and tells me as I hit each mile.
One of the amazing things of yesterday was that once again another blogger and I were on the exact same themes. This has happened before. I read Katherine’s blog and like me she was talking about change. It made me consider further that topic. Why is it we are afraid of change? is it because we are afraid of the possibility of failure?

Some of the thoughts I had about that;

Most people know Jonas Salk discovered the polio vaccine, but few realize he had to fail two hundred times before he found the right one. Thank goodness he kept on trying.

Nearly everyone who watches professional basketball agrees Michael Jordan is one of the greatest players of all time. But most people don't realize he failed to make the basketball team in high school. He didn't quit playing because he had a teacher that failed to see his potential.



Henry Ford went bankrupt five times before he finally succeeded.



Thomas Edison failed over ten thousand times in his attempts to find the correct filament for the light bulb. When an aide urged him to quit after several hundred failures, he replied, "Why quit now? We know of at least a hundred things that won't work."



It seems that we should never be afraid to fail because failure is just the opportunity to begin again more intelligently.



I thought of this as I walked along the side of one of our famous lochs yesterday, Loch Leven. I remembered visiting this loch as a young boy while camping not far from it with the cub scouts. I must have been about 9 years old at the time.



I had been agreed we would all go swimming in the loch. As I stood on the edge I remembered somebody shouting, “Come on in it is great.” It looked like it did yesterday, very cold. I remember putting my foot in the water and jumping back. It was freezing. Eventually I did get in, and then after a minute or so not wanting to get out, it was marvellous. Since the, I just get right in there, why stop and think it will only be cold for a second or two.





Whenever we first break through a comfort zone, we will probably feel uncomfortable at first. But not long after we make the change, we experience a new-found freedom on the other side. Then we wonder why we didn't break through sooner.

There is never ever a time not to contemplate change. So, we might fail, but then we will have learned something.

I better stop at this point I think maybe the ministerial collar has slipped back on under my shirt today.

I hope today hold a point of discovery for you, and know it is going to for me.

Have a wonderful day.

This blog is linked to my other.  1812

3 comments:

  1. I've always relished change, if even for the prospective challenge it might bring. That said, I am such a wimp when it comes to jumping into cold waters! LOL

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  2. Good morning Ralph I am aive and well. We like the comfort of routines and risk always means the possibility of loss. The Portland Trail Blazers had first pick that year and could have chosen Michael Jordan but didn't!

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  3. You're so right about people fear change. Most times I don't accept failure. My definition of failure is failing to accomplish something. If I don't give up and continue trying, I never fail. I'm only in the process of trying.

    The trick is to never give up!

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