Birds Don't Throw Towels     
by Arleen M. Kaptur

A change of Season - a great time to re-evaluate your goals, set new ones, make some adjustments, and begin achieving what you set out to do. ******** A very simple concept - write down a few items on a piece of paper and psyche yourself and your mind to taking the straight and narrow path to reach your goals and ambitions. What happens if you try, try, and try again, but nothing seems to work and everything seems like it goes from bad to worse and beyond. Are you doing something wrong or has Lady Luck decided to abandon you to the four winds and nary a thought to the outcome?

Not by a long shot! You are just experiencing what untold millions experience each and every day. You do not have to achieve on a daily basis nor do you have to have a myriad of accomplishments to let others know your worth or your capabilities. You are unique and you are special - if right now that seems like a lot of "padding" then suppose this concept.

Without setbacks and without bad luck, would you stop trying - would you lower your standards, and could it be that you would not aim so high but become content with the status quo - everything going just the way you say and without any complications, or diversions. Pretty dull and boring if you ask me.

Challenges give birth to opportunities and opportunities in turn give free reign to creativity, ability and the very act of reaching out, beyond, and further yet.

Apathy can become a part of life when things are going great as well as when hope is lost and everything is left to abandonment.

Goals are just simple checklists to keep you on track, daily to-do lists and calendars give you a form of stability and control, but the real "you" must turn all this around, analyze, reassemble, if need be, and proceed to the goal line. Life will never be fair to everyone at every moment, every single day, and no end in sight. Life will be life, but the real winners are those that take the mishaps, the misfortunes, and the disasters and turn them into diamonds, rubies, and great works of art. Goals are a road-map with some of the stops marked, but in no way are they a guarantee that there will not be interruptions, changes in plans, or a better vision somewhere along the way.

Life has a way of giving subtle hints, gentle nudges, and downright shoves, if the circumstances call for it.

Humans have only begun to tap into the power they have - namely, their minds. If only we could harness more of the mental energies, and abilities, cures and solutions would be found, but it is also guaranteed that for every solution found, a new challenge is just rearing its head.

When we become friends with life, become comfortable with all its quirks, then we find true peace as well as a renewed energy to achieve and reach whatever goals we set.

In everyday life there should be time to work, and time to dream. There needs to be a balance between outward actions and inside nurturing of self. The old saying, "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy," carries with it a lot of wisdom. To dream is to be - it is the time we give our mind, our hearts, and our souls the R and R it needs to revitalize, repair, and reach out.

If life right now is giving you back some bad vibes and throwing in the towel seems the only way out - then, my friend, read any history or science book within your immediate grasp. The world did not evolve into the wonder it is today nor have previous generations gone the way of the dinosaurs, but instead they have left legacies of knowledge, expertise, and experience. Throwing in the towel is for the birds - but I've yet to see one actually do it - have you?

The world is definitely your field of glory, and mine, and your neighbors, and so forth. We are the players, and the goal posts are there. All we have to do is use our minds and figure the best way to get from here to there, in spite of the opposition breathing down our necks ready to tackle our every move.

We can do it - if only we set our mind to it. ENJOY!

©Arleen M. Kaptur 2002 September

About the Author
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