“Let us show, not merely in great crisis, but in every day affairs of life, qualities of practical intelligence, of hardihood and endurance, and above all, the power of devotion to a lofty ideal.”
– Theodore Roosevelt
This past weekend I was doing some office organizing and came across this quote that I wrote down years ago. One of my hobbies is collecting quotes; please send me your favorites in a comment.
It seems we are in the midst of a financial crisis that has become more of an “every day affair of life.” Fear is rampant with all the ruminating in the media about whether there will be a “double dip” or it will continue to be an excruciatingly slow recovery. And then there is all that political mudslinging.
This morning I saw a scared group of quail (bird in picture) running around and squeaking in a panic as they ran and then half flew for their lives when my dog and I approached them. Any of you who live in the desert can easily picture this; I imagine their little bird brains all freaking out as they run for their lives. It reminds me of our fear-filled environment way too much.
Instead, focus on your “practical intelligence” (you are all smart people since you are reading this), “hardihood and endurance” and “power of devotion to a lofty ideal.” It is easier said than done if your house is worth tens of thousands less than the current market price and/or you are still looking for a job or other source of income. But, even so, consider the fact that reading this on a computer means that you are wealthier than most of the world.
Devote yourself to that big destination, keep your endurance up and your internalGPS will take you on a spectacular journey. See last week’s post if obstacles pop up and remember that it is physiologically impossible for fear and gratitude to coexist in your human body. You are not like the quail (small instinctive bird brains), you can decide to react differently because the threats are not going to kill you.
Don’t forget to share your favorite quotes in a comment; maybe I’ll create a future post dedicated to great quotations.
photo credit: Alan Vernon