Bet On You
How to Not Give Up
Hey Readers!
So . . . did you know that last Friday January 12th was National Quitter’s Day? Apparently, National Quitter’s Day is when most people give up on their New Year’s resolutions.
Now, if you fell into the National Quitter’s Day trap and gave up on your New Year’s resolutions, don’t fret. Goal setting is not about being perfect. It’s about organic growth. It’s about doing your best each day, in small steps, to get where you want to go. Don’t let statistics or some “national day” make you feel like, “Oh well, I’m with the 80%.” It doesn’t have to be that way! Be the 20% that keeps going, even after mistakes, even after missing the mark. True growth comes from a journey of constantly falling down and getting back up again.
It’s about NOT giving up.
Sometimes we give up because we forget to bet on ourselves. Maybe we’re afraid other people will laugh at us, that we aren’t good enough, or we really don’t know what we’re doing. Well, today, we’re going to squash all those negative thoughts!
The best way to share with you how is to tell you this mini story/parable of sorts. So here it goes . . .
The Soldier and The Sandbags
Once upon a time, there was a soldier in the midst of the Vietnam war. One scorching hot day, he decided to fill his squad’s tank with sandbags. Everyone made fun of him. They said, “Man, why are you doing that? It’s a waste of time. It’s too hot today!” But the man ignored them and kept filling the tank with sandbags anyway, all by himself. Sandbag after sandbag in the jungle heat.
Later that day, as the soldiers ventured out into the trials of war, the tank blew when it hit a minefield. And guess what? The shards of glass that would have killed the soldiers went into the sandbags instead, saving them all. The man, while knocked unconscious and blown out of the tank, survived, along with the others.
In fact, the soldier that filled the tank with sandbags also rescued each man still inside the tank, one by one, when he came to. He received a Purple Heart for his heroic efforts.
That man was my father.
CONCLUSION:
My a-ha moment was this: My dad bet on himself. I’ve heard this story countless times throughout my life, but it never really sunk in for me until recently.
Because my dad bet on himself, he lived on and so did the men in his platoon. Despite all the naysayers, he trusted himself and kept going. Because he did that, I’m alive today. And so are my children.
Likewise, you need to bet on you. We’re all fighting wars. We’re all trying to find ourselves, accomplish our dreams, find our way. Don’t let things like “National Quitter’s Day” or what the 80% are doing influence you.
Be the 20%! Bet on you!
You got this.
Xoxo
Sarah
AKA A Busy Lady
© 2024 WHATS GOIN ON?! SLN Publishing LLC, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Yes I too have heard this story many times. When I first met him which was only 2 weeks after he left Vietnam I noticed a bad scare on his forehead and he told me how it happened. I put stuff on it in hopes it would heal the scarring and I believe it had.
Great read!! I hope more people will read this and know when that little voice talk to you listen.
Thanks for another great reading!!