Using The Ups & Downs
With this title, I could be writing about stock, commodities or futures markets or about ocean tides, pushups or toasters but I’m not, I’m writing about life. Feeling cranky? You’re not alone, no life has ever had only ups or only downs. Both of these along with highs and lows, good and bad are a part of everyone’s existence and I would argue that each of these is an incredibly important part. It’s easy to deal with life’s ups but soon enough you’ll experience those downs. Both types of experiences teach valuable comparative lessons. Life’s “downs” often teach much more than even the best “ups” that you can remember.
Think of anyone, today, yesterday, a millennium ago, and no matter where your imagination took you, the person that you just thought about experienced the same challenged life that you’re experiencing. Maybe even a lot worse. The only difference is in how that person handled his or her ups and downs.
My son was a somewhat gifted soccer player. As a youth, he played on a travel team that was full of somewhat gifted soccer players and had a reasonably good coach. They didn’t lose any games for several years. Instead of being overjoyed, I began to get worried because that simply wasn’t an exemplar of how our world really works and my young player wasn’t learning how to lose. He was learning some lessons about losing in unrelated areas, but not soccer. Soccer, his temporary singular love was; a virgin vessel, unblemished, unmarked, untarnished, un-scorned and accordingly, his favorite pastime, far beyond anything that came in a distant second.
Years passed and he moved on to other soccer teams, with not-so-gifted players and not such a knowledgable coach. The normal winds of change turned against him and he became intolerant, frustrated and angry. He blamed his teammates for their mistakes and couldn’t see his own weaknesses which for several years, had been carried or hidden by a now absent group of somewhat gifted players who had worked very well together. Even now as a young adult, I’m not sure that he has fully recovered from this overdosing “up” experience. He still expects to win, to have it his way but without somebody else playing hard by his side, the winds are often too much for him to overcome.
Life will deal us some really lousy hands, a lot more than we want. YET, the sun will rise again tomorrow and there will be another chance and another hand to play out. Learn something from each “down” and know this; there is one all-star, perfect teammate that always wants to play by your side, you just need to invite him to be on your team. When you learn this and recognize his voice, your challenges will become opportunities and your daily obstacles will become your personal playground. Here’s your clue, The Word.
JC Calkins, with COMMON SENSE 4 UNCOMMON PEOPLE
No Comments