Winners and Losers-The Harsh Reality

Good Morning!

There are days that are full of success...

There are days full of set-backs...

There are days that you just want to quit...

Things do not always go the way you want...

I am not telling you anything you don't already know...

I have those days...and I know that you do too!

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Lori was reading one of my blogs the other day...and her comment was that she "heard this all before..."

In a way it cut me to the core...in another way it pointed out that I am persistent in trying to get a few basic lessons ingrained before we move to the next level...

Although I try to share insights that help you move to the next level...I also want to ensure that those absolutely critical character elements are so embedded in your being that you can not help but succeed!

Success is less about knowing everything and more about using what you know absolutely consistently...

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I have always liked the line..."There are two types of people in this world..."

There are an infinite number of possibilities that can follow that lead in...

Categorization is an interesting tool...and part of the very nature of humans...

We tend to categorize, in an effort to simplify the perceived complexity of life...

AND IT WORKS!  From my perspective...it has been the ability to characterize that has kept the human race on this planet for as long as it has...

We seek epiphanies of the utterly obvious (I know you have heard that before)...

So....

...There are two types of people in this world...Winners and Losers...

...There are two type of people in this world...Successful and Unsuccessful...

As I think about this...there may be four...sub-categories perhaps...(I love this...it is starting to get a bit "cloudy")

1-There are those who try and win...

2-There are those who try and fail...but go down trying...

3-There are those who try and quit...

4-There are those who never try at all...

Where do we draw the line that drops those four sub-categories into the successful and unsuccessful categories?

Some people may draw the line after the first sub-category...claiming that the only people who are successful are those who achieve their goals...(The "Secret" people sell this)

There are others who draw the line after the second sub-category...claiming that it is better to have tried and failed than not to ever have tried at all...(I may agree with this...let's see)

There are others that may drawn the line after the third sub-category...claiming that all that matters is trying...and that quitting has nothing to do with a person's integrity and character...(I disagree)

And lastly, there are those who would draw the line after the forth...claiming that there "is no spoon!"  meaning that effort is an illusion...(If there is no such thing as effort...why live?)

The more I think about this...the more I believe that there is a line...

My supporting axiom is "you win some or you learn something...in either case...you were successful..."

I know...you have heard that one before too!...(consistent aren't I?)

That draws a distinct line after the second sub-category...these are the winners...the successful ones...

AND...there are winners...the ones who tried their best...but did not cross the finish line ahead of the hoard...
In a big way...life is how you perceive it and work...as long as you go down trying...

Quit or stop...and you have automatically and by conscious decision put yourself in the realm of losers...

Many will argue that oftentimes that quitting is the rational thing to do...

That old Kenny Rogers song about "The Gambler"

"...You got to know when to hold-up...know when to fold-up...know when to walk away and know when to run..."

I disagree...

Heroes and legends are not made by quitters...

Quitting is an immature response...that of a two year old...

It shows intellectual and emotional immaturity!

Quitting includes more than simply stopping your activity completely...

I learned long ago...that any activity should either leave the world better...or at least unscathed!

I was taught..."Don't leave a mess for others to clean up...literally or figuratively"

Leaving things undone is the behavior of a two-year old!

If you open it...close it...

If you take it out...put it away...

Leaving the world in a worse condition and expecting someone else to pick-up after you...is no different than a two-year old running from one activity to another and leaving a trail of clutter...or really no more mature than requiring a diaper change...

These behaviors communicate...

Laziness
Selfishness
Immaturity
Irresponsibility

Not good messages about a character is it?

This behavior is self-centered...I got out of it what I wanted...

It leaves trash in parks and on the highways...poisons in our streams...polluted air...

Activities are not complete until there remains no more work to be done from it...

Many complete their activities but few actually finish them...

The true colors of people can be seen even in the smallest of activities...they eat and leave dishes...

Walk in the door and drop cloths...or leave the door open...

If your presence causes work for someone else...your existence is immature and you are in that group...

You are like a two-year old!

This is harsh but true...

Adulthood and maturity is about existing in such a way that you contribute...not drain...on others and the earth at large...

If you are a drain on resources and others...then you are only "the kind of person a mother will love"...and at some point...even she will get tired of changing your diapers and picking up the messes you leave!

Where am I going?

It is less about where you draw the line between success and failure...

It is about redefining success...

Success is not all about getting what you want...and walking away...

It is more about getting what you want AND NOT leaving a mess for someone else to clean-up...

That mess takes on many forms...real or figurative...

Success is not true real...unless it is finished...

"Finished" means that nothing more has to be done to bring things back to equilibrium...which is what the world seeks...

Think about it...It may take on the form of forgiveness...

The mess you made in some other's life in your pursuit of happiness...your goals...

As a result of our changed view...there is a shift in the number of  sub-category 1 "successful" people.

Leave a mess and you have stopped too soon...which means that you quit!

That is the harsh reality...you may think yourself sucessful...just because you got what you wanted...or needed...but you quit short...see it for what it is...

Make each day count...REALLY COUNT!

Learn to contribute...

Learn to be really successful...

GROW UP!

Learn how to really put closure on everything you do...think beyond what you can get...

Leaders know how to finish...really finish...they are craftsmen of action...

We all have our moments...but do not let your moments be a burden on other or the world!

That is not leadership...

Enough Said!

Have a great weekend...

A single thought...that you have probably heard from me before...but from my perspective...one that can not go without saying...OFTEN!

Pura Vida!