Sunday Thoughts 💭

    Another Day, Another Dollar.

    Another Week, Another Buck. We made it thru another 7 days of torture, to finally see the sun rise again. What a journey it’s been, let me tell you.

    By now, the pattern seems to suggest that Sunday’s are for reflection. Taking time out of your day, to look back on the week that was. To analyze all that you’ve done, and to understand what else there is to do. To celebrate, to ponder, and to plan. The reality is, we’re all in this together- and the journey ain’t over just yet. The marathon continues- so you better have your shoes tied up tight.

    Most of the week seems to fly by, when you look at it in the rearview mirror. I suppose that is the gift of hindsight, 20/20 vision. The reality is, when you’re stuck within it- things can be a never-ending battle. At least, that is how it feels most of the time. All the workouts, the cardio, the dieting, the chipping and grinding away at doing whatever is necessary in order to improve yourself. And make no mistake, that is the purpose. Improvement. Every single day. The idea that we are capable of creating change within our lifetime, with as small as 1% being applied to ourselves every single day. The beauty of 1% is the compound interest in which we accumulate while participating. We are able to build off of the habits we begin, leading down a path of extraordinary benefits. The time and effort we put in today, allows us to benefit immensely tomorrow. You reap what you sow. Those words could not be any truer.

    One of the main challenges while grinding away, is finding the proper balance to help keep you level. Perhaps level is not the best term to describe it. Perhaps, something to come back down and take off the edge is better. Make no mistake- those who chase greatness do not allow themselves to be level. They do not allow themselves to be reasonable or simply flat-lined. You must be willing to go off the deep-end in order to achieve all which you wish to achieve. You have to be willing to dive in, head first, and soak your entire body into the fountain. Find me one man who has ever achieved their dreams by simply going half in. You can’t. It is not possible. Life requires us to go all in, to trust the process, and to walk on faith. There are no rewards in this lifetime for half-ass measures. You do not celebrate climbing Mount Everest by simply walking to the base camp down below. You must be willing to go all-in, to spill blood, sweat and tears, in order to reach the summit. Anything other than that, is a waste of time.

    Not everybody wishes to climb Mount Everest. And that’s fine. Not everybody wishes to run a marathon. Also fine. However, every single individual who has the fortune to walk upon this Earth, must find something they are willing to die for. Life itself presents a challenge, one which we must all face. A challenge, where we are given the ability to choose what we wish to thrust ourselves within. Some wish to be the greatest Author they can be. Others, the become the greatest sports player they can be. Perhaps, the greatest CEO of a multi-million dollar company. Or perhaps, the greatest provider/protector to their family as humanly possible. Regardless of the goal, the sacrifice is all the same. The ability to dig deep within, and produce results. The ability to cast aside all doubt and fear, and to walk the valley of the shadow of death. Make no mistake, my friends- this is that valley. This life is a one-way ticket to the after-world. There is no escaping it. We do not make it out alive.

    Understanding that last part is a huge requirement in order to achieve all there is to achieve in this life. How can one push themselves, further than even they imagined, if one has not come to face the fact that we do not make it out alive. That we, as humans, all wake up, soak the sun, then return to the dirt from which we came from. We are here on a cycle- a short, beautiful cycle- where we rise in the morn and fall at the dusk. We do not make it out of this trip in one piece. We are broken, beat and scarred along the way. We are defeated by Time and Death itself. We can either view this as a depressing fact of life, one which makes us realize we hold no true purpose- or we can fight. We can rise, and fight against the very forces which are trying to bring us down. We can summon the power and strength within us, to conquer the world around. We can dig deeper, go harder, live larger, than ever once before imagined. Because at the end of the day, that is all we can do. All we can truly attempt in this life, is the impossible. We walk in the unknown.

    If you were given a gun with a single bullet, would you not do everything in your power to make that shot count? Stranded in the wilderness, starving to death, with one piece of metal loaded in the chamber, ready to blow. Would you not do everything within your grasp to make sure that your bullet landed and helped you survive? That is life. That is what we constantly walk thru, day in and day out. We are the single bullet in the chamber, doing everything we can to continue this journey. We are meant to be used with the utmost certainty that we are giving it our best shot. We are meant to travel at high speeds, with deadly intent, in order to help make a difference in our lifetime. This is the reality of life. We have but one shot, one opportunity. Should we just seize it? Or let it slip?

    Life is a journey, a marathon. There is no doubt about it. We are born, we live, and then we die. A three step process, towards the inevitable. We can stumble out of the gate. We can fall, scrap our knees. We can even twist our ankles and dehydrate on the way. However, the race continues forward none the less. The marathon slows down for nobody, no matter the cause. We must find the power and strength within to stand up, and get back in it. We must dig deep, in order to find the courage to run forward again.

    The finish line seems like the destination- something we all wish to reach as soon as possible to celebrate our course. However, looking back upon it, we quickly realize the truth.

It is not the finish line which defines us- but rather the journey we took on the way there.

        May God have mercy on us all,

                    Amen.