- IVAN PANIN, Thoughts
How many of us walk with our heads down? How many of us walk with our heads up? I ask this because it’s simple; when you walk with your head down all you can see is the bottom of the barrel; where you are, where you have been, and how grim (or great) things are. When you walk with your head up, it gives you a completely different perspective as to what your life is all about. Instead of recognizing the present and where you are, you can focus on the future and where you want to be. Avoiding mistakes and hard times are impossible, they are bound to happen. Those instances happening are not the Achilles heel to our lives; it’s potentially how we deal with it. Having the wherewithal and perseverance to press through those times are the mark and measure of an individual.
Heads Up
I woke up the other morning, only to find my wife not in bed with me. Baffled, I woke up, surveyed our room and began my normal morning routine. I walked around upstairs only to find dead silence; a pin dropping would sound like a thunderstorm. I make my way downstairs only to see my wonderful wife and 2 sons enjoying breakfast and a morning edition of SportsCenter. For a split second, I found myself a bit awestruck because it had slipped my mind that I had this wonderful family. Although they weren’t paying attention to me, I fully embraced their presence. On a whim, I decided to ask everyone what the plan was for the day. With blank looks, they shrugged their shoulders and replied “I don’t know.” I knew that I had to work this Friday, but the idea of a three day weekend with each other sounded amazing, and there was no way I going to let it slide past me. I spring to my feet and tell my family we are going to Sea World for the day. I followed that by saying tomorrow we’re going to a basketball game as well. The overwhelming look of joy on their faces was simply priceless. As the children ran upstairs to get ready, my wife comes up to me and asks “Why the impulsive decisions?” All I could say was “We have it, let’s spend it. Money comes and goes; family and the joy that comes with it are priceless.” She looked at me, smiled, and kissed me. Before the day even started, my day was already made.
Man Down
I woke up the other morning, only to find out that I had slept through all 3 of my alarms. Of course I had an early morning meeting, so you can only imagine how thrilled I was to hurry out of the house. In the midst of my haste exiting the house and entering my car, I realize that not only was I not prepared for this meeting, but I had also forgotten my thumb drive with all of my presentation material on it. Regardless, I stood fast to priority number one; getting to work on time. As I am driving 80+ mph, I attempt to call my boss to let him know that I am running late, but should be there shortly. He answers the phone, acknowledges my case, and replies “Get here soon please” with a sense of frustration in his voice. Distracted by the potential frustration in my boss’ voice, I look down only to notice that I am wearing white socks with dress shoes and completely wrinkled clothes. Too far from home, and too close to the office, I decided to continue this journey and face this horrific morning. En route to work, I couldn’t help but think about why I was so disheveled this particular morning. Could it be because I felt like I had no purpose? Or maybe it was the fact that I decided to party and drink my night away the night before with the idea that I will be fine in the morning. Whatever the reason was, it all circled back to one genesis – I had nothing to look to forward to. I knew I was smart, so I rode that train for a while. I knew I had talent, so I sat on that for a bit as well. What I never did was push myself to exceed expectations.
All I believed in was facts and no faith. Think about it, a couple of nudges in the right direction could have prevented all of this. Conversely, a couple of lacks in effort could have prevented the first scenario as well. Although this was not the best example of what I was trying to explain, I just wanted to make one thing clear – anything is possible. If you want it, just go get it. Having a purpose in this life is what makes us tick; we need to know what we want in this life in order to pursue it. Dreamers get pegged for always wishing, and doers get pegged for doing things without thinking them through, but I look at this differently. Let the dreamers and doers do their thing. In time, whenever that is, they’ll figure it out.
If you fill your heart with faith, there will be no room for fear.
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