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    • « 2nd Half | Main | Scent Of The Flower »

    Shake It Off And Step Up

    By Felix | July 6, 2008

    farmer.jpg“Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence.
    Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful
    men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is
    almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of
    educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone
    are omnipotent. The slogan, “Press on,” has solved and
    always will solve the problems of the human race.”
                                                                                                                  … Calvin Coolidge

    We can never have a completely smooth life. Now and then, we will be plagued by ill health, unemployment, financial woes, relationship problems and all sorts of accidents, disasters or misfortunes. All of us react differently to such adversities. Some take them so negatively that they are ‘buried’ by the problems. Many others somehow manage to overcome these obstacles and grow from the experience. There is yet another group of people who thrive even better than before the adversity event. These are the ones amongst us who can turn difficult situations into opportunities, who will bear the pain through the night, because they know the day will break.

    We can learn from the story below and know that if we have the mindset of not giving in, it can make all the difference to that situation we are going through.

     

    A parable is told of a farmer who owned an old mule. The mule fell into the farmer’s well. The farmer heard the mule ‘braying’ - or - whatever mules do when they fall into wells. After carefully assessing the situation, the farmer sympathized with the mule, but decided that neither the mule nor the well was worth the trouble of saving. Instead, he called his neighbors together and told them what had happened…and enlisted them to help haul dirt to bury the old mule in the well and put him out of his misery.

    Initially, the old mule was hysterical! But as the farmer and his neighbors continued shoveling and the dirt hit his back…a thought struck him. It suddenly dawned on him that every time a shovel load of dirt landed on his back…HE SHOULD SHAKE IT OFF AND STEP UP! This he did, blow after blow.

    “Shake it off and step up…shake it off and step up…shake it off and step up!” he repeated to encourage himself. No matter how painful the blows, or distressing the situation seemed the old mule fought “panic” and just kept right on SHAKING IT OFF AND STEPPING UP!

    You’re right! It wasn’t long before the old mule, battered and exhausted, STEPPED TRIUMPHANTLY OVER THE WALL OF THAT WELL! What seemed like it would bury him, actually blessed him…all because of the manner in which he handled his adversity.

    THAT’S LIFE! If we face our problems and respond to them positively, and refuse to give in to panic, bitterness, or self-pity…THE ADVERSITIES THAT COME ALONG TO BURY US USUALLY HAVE WITHIN THEM THE POTENTIAL TO BENEFIT AND BLESS US! Remember that FORGIVENESS–FAITH–PRAYER– PRAISE and HOPE…all are excellent ways to “SHAKE IT OFF AND STEP UP” out of the wells in which we find ourselves!

    Finally, a story of a baby elephant born into a circus. It was trained from young to perform, and after each training, its ankles were chained to the ground. The elephant had tried to escape, but the chains held fast. Years later, the elephant grew to its full adult size. The chain tied to its ankles was however still the same old chain. If the adult elephant had tugged at the chain, it could have freed itself. Alas, the elephant had over the years grown up believing that the chain could not be broken. It had thus given up trying. Before your mind is equally conditioned to think the same, always know that if there is no venture, there is no gain.
    Never give up trying!

    Topics: life lessons, motivation, success principles |

    4 Responses to “Shake It Off And Step Up”

    1. loveth Says:
      July 6th, 2008 at 2:20 am

      but you will get to a point and feel like there is nothing more to do {like you have done all you think you could}

    2. Debra Says:
      July 6th, 2008 at 7:30 am

      VERY GOOD POST SWEETS, its human nature to go on our little pitty parties and we all are guilty of them…Lord knows i have whined on your shoulders enough ..lol..one thing i have learned over the years is .. THIS TOO SHALL PASS.. and tomorrow is a new day, nothing last forever here, Once again you have written a “teaching” post for others to refrences back to.. wink… you are the shit ..lol keep up the great work.. xxx and ty for always standing by my side and helping me threw my pitty parties..hope your weekend is going good filled with love n laughter…

    3. chidinma Says:
      July 7th, 2008 at 4:17 pm

      Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.u might fail 19th times and succeed the 20th.

    4. JesusFreak Says:
      July 9th, 2008 at 8:57 am

      I once heard that story from the mouth of Pst. Matthew Ashimolowo and since then my reactions to situation had changed. Thank you for pointing this out once again. That is one of the basic truths of life.
      Thanks

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