LESSON from a TURTLE. I did something I rarely ever do this evening. I took a break. I mean a real break where I did nothing but lay in a hammock and take in the cool evening while the family was outside dinking around.
I was laying there when I heard something coming through the leaves. I looked down and there was a turtle. It was a box turtle and recognized him as one we often see in the back of the house walking around.
He was coming upon a huge line of rocks. I could tell he was heading for underneath the deck for the evening. The rocks were much larger than him and the row of them prevented his present course.
Rather than go around, he started climbing them. He'd stick that neck out, pull himself up, claw and claw, only to fall backwards on his back. He'd right himself and try again. Same results. Over and over.
I kept watching him, finding myself rooting for him to get to the top of that row of rocks. He kept trying, never giving up. I wanted to get up and go help him, but I didn't. There was something motivating about watching that mere turtle work and work, with repeated failed attempts, to scale those rocks.
The turtle made me think of that kids' story "The Train That Could" where a little train keeps working and working up this huge hill saying over and over, "I think I can, I think I can" until he does it!
Well, eventually the turtle worked and worked until he was almost at the top, this time not falling backwards on his back. I found myself actually sitting up in the hammock, eyes focusing on that turtle almost aloud saying, "Come on fella, you can do!"
As he got to the top, he stretched his neck out as long and as far as it would go. I actually think that I stretched my neck out, too. He extended his legs out farther than they had been. You could hear his claws scratching the rock for footing. Almost at the top, he struggled and struggled as he pulled himself up to the peak, paused, and then over it. He dit it.
Then he slowly moved on underneath the deck......
That turtle reminded me again how it is so important to stay on target. Never give up. Set your goals and accomplish them. Quitters never win.
Being successful takes a lot of hard work. Dedication to achievement paramount.
This market has been brutal to so many this past year. Lots of folks still hurting. Lots of dreams destroyed. So what are you going to do about it? Maybe the thing to do is do what that turtle did. Set your goals again, work to regain what you lost, do it with conviction and determination. Don't quit on yourself, or those that depend on you.
Get tough and work at it. Make a come back! Slowly but surely, make a come back. You did it once, you can do it again.
The turtle did.....
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