When the world has turned its back on us and those whom we regarded as close and supportive friends abandon us, we always have ourselves to turn to and to believe in. At very specific junctures in our lives we all will bring back to remembrance the horrifying event or events that left us totally alone with no direction. Usually that seeming crisis is related to a very close and intimate friend that decided that they would no longer support our direction or goals and they said so. Ouch! We led ourselves to invest too much of ourselves in what this close friend thought about us and our goals. We gave them way too much power to criticize us and to eventually hurt us just when we needed them most.
The point of this article is to get us to believe in the things we believe in and want most for ourselves. We are the source of the idea to seek success. Not others who have no investment in our lives. We have to understand that our minds, spirit, hearts, and souls generate the reason for our progress toward something of real value to us. Believing in ourselves to be able to follow through with our goals in the face of tremendous opposition and abandonment by those we love and respect. The only person that matters in these cases is “US” and we have to follow our hearts even when others have decided that we are delusional, are dreamers, and irresponsible. Our goals have to be accomplished by us. Those who do not believe in us are probably not worth the effort to keep around. They have shown their true colors.
I have a very supportive wife and she believes in me. But, before she could believe in me she had to know that I believed in myself. If I failed at this point then I do not deserve her support. No matter what, it comes down to what we believe about ourselves and our ability to advance and win. There is no other way to approach the objectives that we seek than to retreat, think, and pray until we are absolutely sold out on the goals we have decided to go get.
In closing, let me admonish all of us to decide that we are the originators of our own destiny. It’s good to have some support but it’s not required if our goal is worth it to us. Look in the mirror and know that you are looking at the chief decision maker and your biggest fan. Now go get it! Listen to your heart and not others who have no stake in your life or the attainment of your goals.
Until next time, I remain, Douglas E. Graham, Lt Col, USAF, (ret), MHSM
Six Pack and Senior 