Share on facebook
Share on twitter
Share on linkedin
Share on reddit
Share on whatsapp

I may be walking slowly, but I never walk backward. Abraham Lincoln

As we prepare to face the daily challenges of everyday living, there are times when we feel frustrated and demoralized particularly when things don’t go our way. At these times we are confused, angry and hurt that life is not fair to us and we are sorely tempted to simply surrender to our fate and accept life as it comes. In extreme cases we might think of taking some drastic measures like suicide or attempting some illegal means to attain our dreams. These are the times when we almost succumb to the pressures and begin to contemplate walking backwards and perhaps leaving only behind shattered dreams.

Fortunately the large majority of us are pragmatic, rational and resolute and so we stop to evaluate the reality. This is like taking a break from a long walk; helps you rest, enables you to refocus and gives you time to realign your goals. It is important to realize that we are not the only ones having a set of complaints, troubles or, grief. This itself should strengthen our resolve to fight back and face the challenges squarely. Take the case of a world class player who is plagued with injury, loss of form and lack of confidence. Nothing can get worse for the person except perhaps personal tragedy . If the player has seen the heights of success, these trying times are the inflection points where he/ she can give it all up. Yet if there is a will and the resolve to overcome the problems the person will find the right mentor/ coach to guide and direct the training and regain the lost form, confidence and peak performance.

Sometimes we are too overwhelmed to accept the reality and we become escapists. We undervalue our abilities, perform to mere bare acceptable standards, have a string of excuses to cover up in case of below par performance and refuse to take on responsibility while all the while retaining the right to be critical. These are situations where we may not be walking backwards but we have simply stopped moving. Such stagnation stunts our abilities, our desires and our potential. The solution here is to accept the fact that some realities can’t be changed and the sooner we adapt to the change the better it is for us to grow in life. We would need to learn from the lives of war veterans who may have been seriously maimed or handicapped in combat. Their fruitful years cut short in their prime yet their zeal and enthusiasm is never diminished.

In the ultimate analysis, no matter what the reality is, for our own self realization, self fulfillment and personal growth, we need to keep walking, marching ahead with a goal in mind, a song in our hearts and a prayer on our lips so that the journey is pleasant, fruitful and heartwarming.  It is rightly said that when the going is though the tough get going.

Remember: When I walk backwards it is usually for a long jump. Carl Lewis – International Champion long jumper.

Try this:

  1. See this video and notice the backward walk of Carl Lewis right in the start when he is focusing before his run and takeoff  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8BHGUIGSTQ
  2. See if you can list the times in your life when you walked backwards and refused to take up a challenge or did not venture to attempt something out of your comfort zone. It could be the first time you were asked to speak in public or when you participated in a group dance and couldn’t keep step with the rest . Did you regret it? Did you avoid pursuing your passion because you thought it too risky to give you your livelihood?

This post is courtesy www.actspot.com

You are also invited to visit our WEEKLY Inspirational and Motivational Blog www.poweract.blogspot.com

Bobby Jacob

Bobby Jacob

‘ He hopes to have a positive influence on his readers through his blog posts’

Subscribe Now

Post Archive 

This Post Has 2 Comments

  1. K.R. RAJESH

    Interesting Quotes and also thought provoking article.

    Regards
    K.R. Rajesh

  2. Himanshu

    Very Inspirational and touching

Leave a Reply

Subscribe to our Blog

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.