Courage.
Motivation. Grit.
Determination. Guts.
Each day we rise up in the morning – and we saddle up – and in
the words of John Wayne – “Courage is being scared to death and saddling up
anyway.”
Each of us – get to make the choice. Each day we can sit on the porch. Enjoy the sunrise – and the sunset. The creep of the crickets in the bushes – and
the calls of the wild birds overhead.
What good does that do you? The
sun burns hot – the desire to do something with your time should burn all the
hotter.
I quote from General George Patton:
“All men are timid on entering any fight; whether it is the
first fight or the last fight all of us are timid. Cowards are those who let
their timidity get the better of their manhood. You will never do that because
of your blood lines on both sides. I think I have told you the story of
Marshall Touraine who fought under Louis XIV. On the morning of one of his last
battles—he had been fighting for forty years—he was mounting his horse when a
young ADC [aide-de-camp] who had just come from the court and had never missed
a meal or heard a hostile shot said: “M. de Touraine it amazes me that a man of
your supposed courage should permit his knees to tremble as he walks out to
mount.” Touraine replied “My lord duke I admit that my knees do tremble but
should they know where I shall this day take them they would shake even more.”
That is it. Your knees may shake but they will always take you towards the
enemy.”
Touraine was right.
He knew what was out there. He
knew that what we was going to do that day was full of disaster – setbacks –
charges – retreats – blood – and folly.
But, he went anyway. He went out
and strapped on his sword. He strapped
on his honor and his dignity. He
gathered himself together and pointed the horse in the direction he was going
to go. He took what he had and screwed
up his courage – and led his men forward.
Inner resolve and confidence.
I continue with George Patton: “There are apparently two types of successful
soldiers. Those who get on by being unobtrusive and those who get on by being
obtrusive. I am of the latter type and seem to be rare and unpopular: but it is
my method. One has to choose a system and stick to it; people who are not
themselves are nobody.”
You will never be successful being what you are not. You will never survive the fight and the
contact with your enemy if you don’t be what you are. If you are faking it – then the well will run
dry when you need the water the most.
Next point: “The
intensity of your desire to acquire any special ability depends on character,
on ambition.” Your ambition drives you. Your drive fueled by what you want to be and
how you want to get there.
Running – like life is complicated. Each mile is the same amount of
distance. There are no short cuts –
there is no shortening the mile. They
are all miles. They all add up. They all include the grinding. Are there easier miles? Yes. Are
there downhill miles, uphill miles, and flat miles that stretch out
forever? Yes. But all races are finite. All life is finite – and this life has an
end. Nobody gets out of this life alive.
So I run. Not fast –
not walking – but I run. I do that which
I need to do to get where I have set my goals to get to. Once you lock in the goals. Once your mind says – “I CAN DO THIS.” Then you can make it. You can make the distance. You can silence your fears. You can make your arms and legs move at the
pace you want to go at. Do you need all
the frilly shorts and trappings to get you there? If you wanted to do a race. And you wanted to
run it. You could do it in flip flops
and corduroy jeans. You would make
yourself go. You would want to get
there. You would want to be in the best
shape and in the best place.
Why don’t you go now?
What is holding you back? What
anchors are weighing you down? What have
you allowed yourself to be tethered to so that you can’t get out the door and
be yourself?
Is it what you want to do?
Is it where you want to be? What
time is it in your head? Time to quit or
time to awaken your sense of destiny and desire?
“I am sure that if every leader who goes into battle will
promise himself that he will come out either a conqueror or a corpse he is sure
to win. There is no doubt of that. Defeat is not due to losses but to the
destruction of the soul of the leaders. The “Live to fight another day”
doctrine.”
It is not in your destiny to fail. You can either give yourself the confidence
to make good choices. To make the right
choice. To make your path your own. But each day – just like John Wayne – or Marshall
Touraine – you leave it all out there – you make your way. You beat back the odds and you drive. Drive to your goals. You beat the drum. You set your pace. You have got this. Every day – you have got it right there in
your hands.
Do it. Do it
now. Do it hard. Make those around you know that you were
there. Don’t go timid. The word General
Patton used: Bumptious. Self-assertive or proud to an irritating
degree.
Go out there. Make
yourself proud of what you are. Don’t
listen to the detractors. Be yourself.
FMR.
