Thursday, August 20, 2009

on the way home

I returned to NZ recently on urgent family business and I thought that that may have been the end of my dream to play minor league league in Australia. Reality had unfortunately set in and was leaning toward issuing my marching orders. No job, no money, no house, no way. Fortunately the fates smiled upon my predicament and certain generous parties, whom I shall thank in a less public forum, stepped up to the plate and hit a grand slam, consequently I'm back at home base (the new one on the Gold Coast). I thought it wise to reflect on the lessons of this year thus far, thankfully the journey's not over yet and I can still put them into practice.

  • The Secret: There really is no secret, hard work really is the way to make things happen. Talent is good, but it's not the be all and end all in human endeavours and is often overrated. I'm faster than probably 90% of the people that I've run against. I'm stronger than almost anyone I know in wrestling type stuff, which is a huge head start, but I haven't really done anything with it. Work harder.
  • Timing is almost everything: I should have done this 10 years ago, it would have been a lot easier.
  • Struggling is good for the soul: Going to training (not doing something just because you don't feel like it is not a good reason not to do something), wanting to give up during training, not having the option to eat as often as I'd like, playing hurt, living below the poverty line."All these things shall give [me] experience and be for [my] good."
  • I am not an electron: I can't be in two places at once. In rugby league you fully commit to running a line and then you run it. I'm used to hanging back, not fully jumping in because I want to keep my options open. This approach has it's place, but if you want to get stuff done eventually you're going to have to make a decision.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

"I am not an electron: I can't be in two places at once. In rugby league you fully commit to running a line and than you run it. I'm used to hanging back, not fully jumping in because I want to keep my options open. This approach has it's place, but if you want to get stuff done eventually you're going to have to make a decision.

I couldn't have said it better myself...

Often life requires us to make leaps of faith which can seem as small as getting out of bed in the morning believing today will be better after a long campaign of when will this end or what the freak was I thinking, or as enlightening and liberating as embracing your own amazing self worth or as life changing as choosing someone for time and all eternity. The important thing is that we're active participants in our own stories, in our own lives, in our own destinies... we can only stand at the edge of the river for so long before life requires us to either sink or swim and it's the choices we make that determine which one it is. Those choices don't necessarily have to be grand overtures; more often than not, they're as subtle as the fall of evening - gradients of colour descending into sable night. One doesn't necessarily realise how far they've come until the process is complete and so it is with you, me and everyone between.

Whether you view the necessity of choice through the prism of the gospel in terms of agency, or if perhaps your views are shaped primarily by the school of trial and error it remains an important principle for all. We as a people prize our liberty to choose and make choices for ourselves as an insuperable right - bearing in mind every choice has a corresponding consequence. I could go on, but I won't

All I will say, is that I'm just really glad you're still writing, making choices and generally moving forward.

Loren said...

very poetic Anonymous, cheers for the insight.

Anonymous said...

Thanks and you're welcome