If You Long for Calm Waters, Stop!
Paul White's nationally distributed syndicated column, “If You Long for Calm Waters, Stop!” is published in 22 publications across seven states. This includes the following newspapers and digital publications: Midland Daily News (MI), SFGate (CA), Seattle PI (WA), Connecticut Post (CT), Laredo Morning Times (TX), Huron Daily Tribune (MI), The Telegraph (IL), and more. In this week's article, Paul discusses the “rough water” challenges you may face, but explains why the most important part of any life challenge is to take action.
Nothing that was ever achieved, invented, discovered, or realized came from the path of “easy.” Yet, as I listen to people that are worn down, fatigued, mentally in a challenging place, discouraged, or loaded with despair, they all seem to desire a temporary time-out from life in an attempt to recover. Whenever I hear someone talking this way, my mind immediately triggers to a quote I heard years ago: “calm waters never made for skilled sailors.”
Because I love to help others so much, I find myself attempting to share the meaning behind that quote to explain that all of us have been designed throughout history to be able to face, process, and conquer the different challenges that sometimes block our paths in life. In reality, the saying “calm waters never made for skilled sailors” can provide the knock-out punch for all the frustration we experience when something is blocking the path that’s moving us forward.
Think of a sailboat. If you’re in the middle of a lake and there is absolutely no wind, you’re stuck. Your boat is going nowhere. If there’s a little wind, you can move but you’re getting nowhere fast. On the other hand, if you’re facing gale-force winds, your boat could be overwhelmed and sink. But does it have to completely sink when faced with the worst conditions?
I believe we can survive ANY storm with the right set of developed skills acquired during the times that test us the most. Plus, you have to admit, it’s a rare day when there’s no wind available in our life and an even rarer day that we have to face gale-force winds. The truth is each day brings us sufficient winds to get us to where we want to go, we just need to know how to make the most of the wind that’s provided each day. And that’s precisely where the life lesson lies.
Think of it this way. Each day we set out to accomplish things. They include our morning routine of getting up, getting dressed, some nourishment, and traveling to work. Through the years we’ve developed systems that move us smoothly through this first part of the day. But what if we wake up late because the power went out in the middle of the night and our alarm failed to go off, there’s no hot water because we have an electric hot water heater, the food in the fridge we wanted to eat that morning is spoiled, and our car is trapped because the electric garage door is out of commission?
Well…if we’ve never sailed through these turbulent waters before, we’re in deep trouble with little hope of achieving any success that day. The truth is that most, if not all, of us have faced similar storms like this before. Our prior life history provides solution opportunities for all of this. The path to victory over dilemma may not be easy, but nothing worthwhile ever is. It helps if we can convince ourselves that “failure is not an option” and then begin working on solution strategies.
Most of us have cell phones that would still have power even if they missed a night of charging. We could call work, explain the power outage situation and let them know the time we believe we’ll show up. We can forego a shower for one day and still present a clean and appropriate version of ourselves. We can skip our usual morning nourishment and survive until lunch (although catching a cup of coffee on the way to work would sure be nice). And finally, every electric garage door opener has a handle you can pull to disengage the door from the electric track allowing it to work like a manual door…meaning your vehicle is not trapped. All of the solution strategies came from storms I have personally experienced before. And so have you. You have a rich history of facing obstacles in life and overcoming them.
I admit that many of us face storms in life that may be significantly worse than the example I used. But the lesson here isn’t about specific types of storms. The lesson is about tapping into our personal history of what we did previous times when the waters got rough. Or…if we find ourselves facing a storm that we’re struggling to navigate, the best solution may be finding someone else who’s masterfully sailed through the type of storm we’re facing and asking for their help. John Maxwell is credited with the saying “The pessimist complains about the wind. The optimist expects it to change. The leader adjusts the sails.”, which fits the point I’m trying to make today. YOU have been given the ability to take the lead in your life even if that means asking others for help when you haven’t previously experienced a specific life challenge. The most important part of any life challenge is taking action. NOT taking some form of action is the secret ingredient for defeat. To win the day, you must be willing to take action, trim the sails, and call out to the wind saying, “bring it, I’m ready to sail!”
You’ll make it and end up exactly where you want to go if you have faith in yourself, your history of what you’ve overcome in your life, and your capabilities. You’ll never look at stormy waters the same again. They’re the only waters that give you the opportunity to live the life you’re destined for. Remember, Hey…I Believe In YOU! GiddyUp!
Paul White is a guest columnist and author. Purchase his life-changing book “The Answer Discovery – How to Change the World by Helping Others…and Ourselves” at http://bit.ly/PaulWhiteAmazon. If you’re interested in getting in touch with Paul, please submit an inquiry via our Contact Page.