This week's #PositiveSignThursday word is "Earnest" which means (in my own words, anyway), being a man or woman of sincere conviction, of behaving in a way that aligns with one's moral compass and character. Or, as David Goggins recently said, "The truly successful people in life have learned one thing - and it might be the greatest separator between average and becoming nuclear!!! - and that is learning to do when you don't want to do!"
This word has become an unintended theme in my recent readings, starting with the story of Earnest Shackleton (how great of a name is that!!!) and his journey throughout the South Pole. Before that, was Randy Pausch, a Carnegie Mellon professor who was diagnosed with cancer and, with only months left to live, gave his Last Lecture. He then turned his final words into a book, which my librarian was kind enough to recommend.
Below are a few of my favorite quotes from the book.
“There’s a lot of talk these days about giving children self-esteem. It’s not something you can give; it's something they have to build . . . you give them something they can't do, they work hard until they find they can do it, and you just keep repeating the process” (pg. 37).
“The brick walls {in life} are there for a reason. They’re not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something” (pg 52).
“No matter how bad things are, you can always make things worse” (pg 88).
“It’s a thrill to fulfill your own childhood dreams, but as you get older, you may find that enabling the dreams of others is even more fun” (pg. 115). In other words, what teachers do, almost every single day!
“Complaining does not work as a strategy. We all have finite time and energy. Any time we spend whining is unlikely to help us achieve our goals. And it won’t make us happier” (pg 139).
“When you’re frustrated with people, when they’ve made you angry, it just may be because you haven’t given them enough time . . . in the end, people will show you their good side. Almost everybody has a good side. Just keep waiting. It will come out” (pg 143)
“Whether you think you can or can’t, you’re right” (pg. 147). The power of "I AM"!!!
Rocky didn’t care if he won the fight, “He just didn’t want to get knocked out” . . . “It’s not how hard you hit. It’s how hard you get hit . . . and keep moving forward” (pg 147).
“Experience is what you get when you didn’t get what you wanted. And experience is often the most valuable thing you have to offer” (pg 149). Balance Like a Pirate says, “We do not learn from experience . . . we learn from reflecting on experience”
I would encourage you to print out one or two of the above lines and hang them in a place where you can see them often, as a reminder, to be earnest in your days and decisions and reactions. As a reminder to not live merely by how we feel, but by what we know to be good and right and true. To live by conviction!
To be earnest.
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