Determination

In the interest of stirring my confidence, I’ll sometime write things like this blog post:

Determination to me is the relentless resilience to do what it takes to achieve an outcome.
We continue to hit hurdle after hurdle, setback after setback and still push on. I do feel that we hit more obstacles than most as I suspect we stick our heads out perhaps further that people our age. By sticking our heads out, I am implying that we take on more risks than most.

”Were great goals are attainable, great obstacles exist. If a goal had no obstacles, it would just be an activity… like lunch.” – Brian Tracy

If everyone played it safe, we would have none of the modern spoils that we enjoy today.
What we are doing is risky. And not in the ‘someone will rob us and steal our things’ kind of risk, but in the acceptance that we may come back to a blank page. We may both be without jobs, investments wiped out etc. It is a real threat that we must accept in order to move forward. History tells me that this won’t be the case and everything will be fine, but no doubt worries us.

I can remember vaguely a story whereby the first fleet of settlers, who arrived on a foreign land then proceeded to torch their ships as a message to the settlers that this was now a ‘must succeed’ situation… there was no going back. Can you imagine the sensation and commitment to success that such an event would stir inside you?

We can trust in the fact that we have calculated and pre-committed to the consequences of this trip.
I know it sounds like we are blowing this all out of proportion for just a simple drive overseas and in the fullness of time, it will all seem insignificant. Hell, in a years time we won’t know what we were worried about, but then again, that’s context and perspective. The frog doesn’t see much from the bottom of the well.

We were given a card when we were about to leave on our last trip by a customer who has recently been quite ill. It meant a lot to us as were just acquaintances at the time. The card read:

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”
— Mark Twain

I knowwww that everyone overuses that quote, but it was special to us as it was a gift.
But, I keep telling myself, that provided we have our health and youth, we can always start again.
…and even then, there would be worst things than being old and broke.