The Greatest

In a little moment (that can feel like a hot minute) our perception of a situation can totally change.  And even if the situation hasn't actually changed, because how we see it has, it can wreak havoc on our minds.  Recently I found myself in this scenario and my mind was immediately on a downward spiral.  My illusion of certainty had been shattered leaving me slowly going under into a black sea of the unknown.

It was during this time of uncertainty that this Albert Einstein quote showed up in my life.

This resonated deeply with me as I tried to figure out how I would now I approach the said situation.  Perhaps I knew all along what I needed to do was to push myself forward and this quote was just affirmation of that.  It took me a few days to gather my courage because rising to the next level meant I had to make myself vulnerable by asking a question I wasn't guaranteed I'd like the answer to.

One of my own personal philosophies is that life is about taking leaps.  And when you take a leap, whether you hit the ground running or land flat on your bum you have still catapulted yourself forward from where you were.  I took the leap, I asked the question and I'd say I landed on both feet which I'd see was a decent outcome.

There's a Kenny Rogers' song from the early 2000's entitled "The Greatest".  It's the kind of song that makes you smile.  This blog entry had already been percolating in my mind when I heard this song and realized it sums it up perfectly.   As the song starts, there's a little boy alone in a field with his bat and ball.  He tells himself he is the greatest player then he throws the ball in the air, swings and misses.  He is not phased by this and again throws the ball up, gives it his all, swings and misses.

"He makes no excuses he shows no fear
He just closes his eyes and listens to the cheers.
Little boy he adjusts his hat, picks up his ball, stares at his bat
Says "I am the greatest when the game is on the line"
And he gives his all one last time."

So again he throws the ball up, gives it his best shot, misses and that's strike 3.  The song goes on to say that his mom calls him home for supper and as he picks up stuff to go, he says...

"I am the greatest, that is a fact,
But even I didn't know I could pitch like that!"

And that my friends, is solving a problem by pushing yourself to the next level.  It is not always easy, or perhaps more accurately, it is usually not easy to take that leap but in order to grow it is necessary.