I recently found a sign in a little shop in Chelan that I had to buy. It said “Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass; it’s about learning to dance in the rain!” I wonder just how much of our lives we let pass huddled in a corner every time there is a storm and only coming out on the sunny days. I have to say even I am guilty of that just wishing things were easier, just wanting a sunny day. I have to remind myself I am from Seattle and could easily waste more than half of my life waiting for the rain to pass. There is a mountain of evidence that most people live this way, they live in fear they never step out of their comfort zone never learn that there is a whole world out there that they won't ever know because they are paralyzed by fear.
I have been reading “Fearless” by Max Lucado and found a passage I think is very relevant in our lives:
“The words plunge and water come to mind as I’m writing this chapter while sitting on the edge of a hotel swimming pool. (Amazing what a hot sun, cool soda and a pool chair can do for creativity.) A father and his two small daughters are at play. He’s in the water; they jump into his arms. Let me restate that; one jumps; the other ponders. The dry one gleefully watches her sister leap. She dances up and down as the other splashes. But when her dad invites her to do the same, she shakes her head and backs away. A living parable! How many people spend life on the edge of the pool? Ignoring faith, never taking the plunge. Happy to experience life vicariously through others. Preferring to take no risk rather than any risk For fear of the worst, they never enjoy life at its best. By contrast, their sister jumps. Not with foolish abandon, but with belief in the goodness of a father’s heart and trust in a father's arms.”
Are you happy to experience life vicariously through others or are you willing to, not with foolish abandon, but with trust and belief willing to leap into something new? I lost a friend in a car accident a couple months ago who lived his life to the fullest. If Tim McGraw had a living inspiration for his song “Live like you were dying” it would have been my friend Dave. He liked motorcycles, snowmobiling, flying, scuba diving, skydiving, fast cars and never needed an excuse to try something new or spend time with friends and family. He enjoyed enormous success with his custom home building company and had an amazing family. When I heard of his death I was surprised to hear that it was in one of his work trucks and not in an avalanche or a skydiving accident. While his life was cut short at 57 Dave spent every second squeezing the each drop out of life and didn’t hold anything back because of fear. He not only jumped in but was the first one in the pool, the first one racing up the hill on his snowmobile, the first one out the door of the plane on his sixth jump of the day and the first one to invite everyone over to his house to talk about the day and reminisce with friends. I reflect often in the face of fear that most of the things we fear never happen we put our lives on hold or pass on experiences because of the irrational fear of things that will never happen. Do you wait at the edge of the pool, do you sit in the boat while everyone else skis, do you say I will do that tomorrow, do you sit on the sidelines or do you say put me in coach?
I challenge everyone out there to take a little step closer to the edge, to jump in the pool to do something that is a little uncomfortable. I challenge you to volunteer in your community, to take new steps toward success in your business, to be a friend a friend would like to have, and to climb a mountain of your own! Most of all I challenge you to take this life we are given and make the most of it, because when all is said and done you get one shot at life! What are you going to do with the gift of today?
Remember: “Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass; it’s about learning to dance in the rain!”
Who’s dancing with me?
February - “Start Where You Are” Chris Gardner – also wrote “The Pursuit of Happiness”
March - “21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership” John C. Maxwell
Added on 02/13/2010
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President's Message by Chamber blog
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