Here's My Hammer - Now Go Smash the Sh*T Out of Your Week
a letter to those who haven't finished
You ever heard the saying “do the things that scare you, it’s worth it?” Of course you have.
There are many motivational quotes out there swimming in the sea of self-help books and Thank God for all of them! Having someone go first before us and survive the journey is what we need more of. But what about the middle part? We know the start and we know you made it to the other side and we see you over there thriving, but WHAT ABOUT THE MIDDLE PART?
The middle part is where the gravy is at, my friend. I have began, swam through the gravy, and arrived at the beautiful rainbow many times. Think about the hard times in your life. Go way back to when you were a child. Remember riding a bike? You did not just jump on and take off, or maybe you did, but most of us did not.
We climbed on, scared and excited, then you were given a start by someone pushing you. You didn’t know what to do with yourself, did you? Your feet were fumbling at the pedals, trying to get a rhythm going and them BAM. You go down. Your knees might be scraped, but you try again and then again. Finally, you’re riding. That’s the pot of gold right there. That’s the rainbow!
Learning how to do a hard math problem, writing an essay, or acing a French test is in your bag of rainbows because you did it! You learned to drive, balance your checkbook, and heal a broken heart. That first date, completing job training, finishing college, applying for jobs, interviewing, becoming an entrepreneur, getting married, becoming a parent, raising children, empty nesting, pivoting in your career — these are hard things with lots of gravy in there. I do hope you like gravy. And, I do hope you see my metaphor between gravy and the things that make you work for what you want in life. Gravy isn’t clear just as the path between your start and finish isn’t clear.
People sometimes stop just shy of the finish line and some stop shortly after the starting line. I’ve been thinking about my own starts and stops and what I did to pick up again. One was college. I was a slow starter and slow finisher largely due to money. Unlike many of the ones who graduated alongside me in 1994, I did not start college immediately because I did not have a car. I worked at Jet Food Store for six months for a down payment on a 1991 Ford Tempo so I could attend the community college that was 25 miles from my house. I remember bouncing checks and didn’t understand the check fee policy when I discovered my paycheck was nearly eaten up from all the fees. The bank lady asked me to come to her desk and she showed me how to balance my checkbook and went over a budget with me. She was an angel in disguise! I was able to work at Wal-Mart and a lawyer’s office doing light paperwork while taking classes at the large university that was another hour’s drive. When I moved on campus, I thought things would become easier, but I was working three jobs and carrying a full class load. Things were not easier. I finished my English degree, but then I decided I needed to be teaching. And, I pretty much went on like that for years. I got married, had two wonderful children, and got divorced. I switched my degree over to education and graduated with a teaching degree in 2007! That degree was my rainbow.
There have been many hard moments in my life that had me thinking I’d never make it. It’s there in that gravy, that middle part, that I learned who I was. I learned to fight, to stand up for myself, and I learned to finish.
What are you finishing right now? Is there something you need to start or finish? Tell yourself right now, TODAY, that you are going do it!
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This encouragement is very helpful. I've got a bigggg goal & yes ma'am, going to make it.