Did you ever see the American musical Paint You Wagon. If you did than you know that a way out here, we call the wind Maria, (pronounced Moriah).
Today Maria was blowing pretty hard. It made the first two uphill runs very nice because the wind was at my back and it kind of pushed me along. But when I started back home I really began to suffer. The wind was blowing right in my face. It was hard to notice the down hill rest that I normally get because it was pushing hard against me. Then I had to climb the last hill and it was blowing directly in my face. It was a little discouraging at first. I finally accepted the fact that the wind was blowing and began to appreciate the freshness that it brought to the air.
Sometimes the wind blows. Sometimes the wind howls against us. If we let it get us down, life can become very discouraging. I have discovered that if we want to be happy, we must learn how to appreciate the challenges and see them as stretching moments that help us grow.
Some of you may know a thing or two about sailing. I really don't know anything about it, but I am fascinated by how the sailor uses the wind. Sometimes they have to sail right into the wind. About two thousand years ago triangular sails were invented. When positioned properly, these sails can convert wind power from any direction into forward thrust. It would take a discussion of physics and a couple of theories attributed to Bernoulli and Euler, (and even then most of us would be going…"huh") to fully understand how this happens. The important thing is to realize that it is possible to take the effects of an apparent opposite force and create forward thrust. All it takes is proper alignment.
This works in life too. We can turn negative energy into positive energy by aligning ourselves with positive action. We can decide if we are going to act or be acted upon. My dad always admonished me to be an actor and not a reactor. The most successful people I know, know how to do this. Successful people are not people without problems; they are simply people who have learned how to solve their problems. We all have problems. The better we become at solving our problems, the more successful we will be.
The next time you are faced with a new problem, (like the wind blowing in your face and your need to move forward) ask yourself, "What opportunities are here for me?" I know if you do you will be able to create incredible results in the face of adversity.
See you on the road!
Andrew
