the warrior

Nothing splendid has ever been achieved except by those who dared believe that something inside them was superior to circumstance. ~bruce barton

therefore, my answer is yes.

okay, in all truth, the quote above has nothing to do with my decision to (gulp) become a warrior.

this morning, walking down the hall to spin class, I noticed a poster in the jcc that shouted KEEP GOING. of course I would keep going, as the poster was on a column in the middle of a space where I would never choose to just stop: there were no chairs, no spin room, not much of a cause to pause except for the words that followed.
for underneath the headline was this quote: nothing splendid has ever been achieved except by those who dared believe that something inside them was superior to circumstance.
and yes, I know I've made you read it twice now, but I believe it's worth the repetition.

it speaks of confidence, of a belief in self regardless of what others might think, say, or project.
it speaks of that powerfulness that can only come from within.
it speaks of participating wholeheartedly.

the other morning cloris leachman was doing the talk-show circuit.
I just caught a few minutes of one of her conversations on good morning america, but I was fortunate to hear the message I was supposed to hear. cloris said she doesn't do anything without completely giving herself to it. why do something if you're not going to do it wholeheartedly?
that little lightbulb in my brain clicked when I heard that.
why, indeed?

there are hundreds of things I do each week that I can't say I'm thrilled about doing. but each thing I do, I do for a reason. I do laundry because I love myself and my kids, and want us to wear fresh smelling, clean clothes. I prepare meals because I want to take care of our bodies. I clean because the end result makes me happy. I work not only to pay bills, but because the work I do spreads gratitude and impacts people's lives.
in all of these things are deeply important messages about me and my life. I can participate with more enthusiasm and more wholeheartedly when I acknowledge those reasons the underlie the activities.
this ties in, also, to the guidance matthew kelly provides when he tells us that we cannot judge an activity by how we feel about it beforehand; we must wait until we've completed it. what if I could learn to garner more enthusiasm about these things before I begin?

thank you bruce, and thank you cloris, and I intend to move forward keeping both your thoughts firmly planted in my heart and mind.

on, warrior.