Try Anyway

There are a lot of things I really don't know how to do so I am willing to leave those things to those who can. There are a lot of things I don't know how to do that I must attempt anyway despite how anxious, unwilling, or fearful I feel towards having to do it. That's pretty much how the military goes...especially at our service schools. Despite risk of injury in an obstacle course...climb up the 10-foot ladder, hang from the rope, and traverse the bridge 6 feet above water...whatever the risk...try anyway. Despite never running more than 3-4 miles run the 10k race anyway. Despite having no previous knowledge or experience with course subject matter speak up and offer what opinion or thoughts you do have. If there is one thing I've learned in all possible scenarios in the military is that you WILL NOT be criticized for trying. I've also learned (the hard way) that YOU WILL be criticized if you DON'T take a chance, make an attempt or at least speak up and say something as a way of contributing to the conversation. Regardless of what you think of your abilities or what you feel others think of your abilities, people want you to actively participate. In the military, we call that "contributing." Nothing will kill you more in a team-oriented environment than not contributing. No matter what...TRY ANYWAY. ....you face your fears...you overcome your anxiety...you swallow your pride...you boldly stand up and face the unknown with confidence...whatever, whenever, however...try anyway...CONTRIBUTE. Whenever you feel yourself scared to death that is the first indication that it is time to step up to the plate and step out to lead. Take a chance...stop spending so much time worrying over the various probabilities you might have to fall flat on your face...just try and put your effort and energy into the 1 or 2 possibilities that at least have a chance of working. Again, the least that could happen is that you will get applauded for trying. You will be shunned and booed for "playing it safe" and for not trying or contributing. The next time you are challenged to step out of your comfort zone or presented with a situation where "walking away" is so much easier than risking failure, GO FOR IT...LEAD THE WAY...TRY ANYWAY.

Fragile Ego

I was given a new assignment and reported to my new work center with anticipation of a different perspective of ministry, outreach and opportunity. I was hit, instead, with a dose of reality. I was accused, belittled, and made to feel severely "inferior." Sadly, that was just the first day at work! WOW...our first meeting together. What I thought would be a "welcome" speech turned out to be a "this is the way it is around here" directive so that I understood very clearly that I was "at the bottom of the totum pole." Yikes!! He definitely wasn't the "welcome wagon." Sadly, over the course of the last two months, I have found that it's not just my new boss who is "sensitive" but some of my colleagues as well. What is this I'm talking about? I'm talking about fragile ego. Fragile ego is when a person "over-reacts" as if everything you do is purposely orchestrated as a threat to their career, themselves, and/or their livlihood...maybe even an attempt to "upstage" them to make them look bad in the eyes of the boss. To "protect" themselves they not only give you the cold-shoulder throughout the course of the week, but find ways to interject degrading, cutting, and demeaning "responses" to the ideas, input and contributions you make. You know...they always have to say something negative to make it look as if what you said was the stupidest thing every uttered in the history of the world. They are hard to deal with when they are "jerks" on purpose. I found an interesting saying from Mother Teresa that could help us when we work and live with these mentally immature, ego-protective individuals. My wife found it...of all places...in a CBD catalog. It said, "People are often unreasonable and self-centered. Forgive them anyway. If you are kind, people may accuse you of ulterior motives. Be kind anyway. If you are honest, people may cheat you. Be honest anyway. If you find happiness, people may be jealous. Be happy anyway. The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway. Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough. Give your best nayway. For you see, in the end, it is between you and God. It never was between you and them anyway." Yes, love is patient, kind...and not easily offended. May we all strive to have BIG hearts and thick skins. After all, it was never supposed to be about me in the first place.