Wednesday, January 8, 2014

Measuring the Moments, Not the Limitations.


“Do the crazy thing the hard-to-imagine-but-somehow-you-did thing the brings-you-to-your-knees thing, the no-one-would-ever-do-it-that-way-thing the safety-net-would-not-even-matter thing the it-could-kill-you-but-not-trying-is-another-kind-of-death thing the thing on your heart do it and let them gasp right before they call it a thing of wonder.” – Ciona Rouse
I watched a gentleman working out at the gym the other night – sweat dripping trails down his languished limbs, as he painstakingly grunted his way towards ‘victory.’

I have to say, I was initially quite impressed – watching what appeared to be a testimony of mind over matter.

But the eyes, often tell those secrets we wish never to be shared -those of lost hope, lingering doubts and dreams that are, as of yet, still unfulfilled.

And then, I watched as this young man succumbed to defeat…and, like a soldier worn from the rigors of war, limped his way off this spiritual battlefield. In his mind, he had formulated this vision of perfection – and, having fallen short, would accept nothing less.

Why do we set such arbitrary standards in place? To define our world more by numbers and repetitions, and less by the greatness of our own character? Where success is measured in inches and pounds, and less by the number of people on this Earth that we have inspired?

Perhaps, because there is no means to measure the true capacity of one human spirit?

I’m not at all suggesting that we shouldn’t have goals, mind you….I just think we must always be mindful to define our goals, instead of letting those goals define us.

Quite the subtle difference, I know – but one, that is infinitely more beneficial to becoming a ‘much better human.’

So, maybe just try living a life without such unwavering expectations…

And, while you’re at it – why not measure the moments, and not all of those limits?

You might just surprise yourself with a much more impressive victory.

No comments:

Post a Comment