Have Faith: Challenge yourself, not others

Ray Petersen -

petersen_ray@hotmail.com -

We are a sensitive lot, aren’t we? We get upset when trivial things go wrong, simply reacting to our own lack of composure. We get offended at what people say without having earned the right to take offence through our own purity of thought, deed or action. We invest ourselves with so much hubris, even momentarily, to justify our indignation when matters go awry. Yet rarely have we earned the privilege of such lofty status.

Michelangelo, the painter, inventor and theorist, was also a philosopher of note, and he commented that, “The danger for most of us is not that we set the bar too high, and miss it, but that we set it too low, and reach it.” It’s a wonderfully accurate summation of the attitude of many of our young people today, because, in reality, life has become too easy.

Many of the younger generation appear to have become participants in the “blame game” rather than identifying who and what they are and their goals and objectives, the limitations imposed on them by their own lack of vigour and industry, and an absence of enthusiasm for that significant part of their life that is work.

Understanding yourself, who you are, what you are, and what you will be, and become, are fears that we all have, though they are not always expressed as such as none of us wishes to demonstrate weakness, which is what fear is. We of previous generations had no option but to work, with little time for anything else, but todays, have much more, and need less, so have needed to challenge themselves less.

Finding a work/life balance is no small thing, as one individual’s ability to come to terms with their wants and needs in this respect impacts significantly upon entire families, and creates and attitude among that family, in respect of the genuine need to place a commitment to a job, and work, in a position of quite some priority.

You see, there are three inalienable factors at work here, and unless we are indecently wealthy, the first fact is that, in today’s world, we need to work, and the second is that of 168 hours in any given week, most of us need to spend a quarter of our time at work, because, third, we need money, and no one is going to give us that without us working for it.

I’m absolutely certain that if an entire global generation has been told this, that they actually haven’t been told it often enough to allow the message to sink in. They will spend a quarter of their lives working, a quarter sleeping, and that still allows us another half of their lives to do the ‘fun’ things. To me, that’s not a bad deal.

So, given those basic parameters, shouldn’t they approach their work with some enthusiasm and passion, first appreciating the fact that it provides them with the wherewithal to do the fun things. From my perspective, that creates a whole heap of obligation, to be at my best, so my employer gets the best, out of me. Someone said something like, “If you never fully commit to climbing the hill, you’ll never know the exhilaration and joy of sliding down the other side!” Think of that, and maybe make your next challenge to appreciate the many opportunities that your work offers you, because if you don’t challenge yourself, you will never be what you were meant to be.

I love my work. Sure, it’s a frustration at times, but it also provides me with a raft of opportunities to prove myself. What better than to be thought ordinary, then to prove that you’re not? Instead, keep these few words in mind, for all occasions: If no one thinks you can, you must. And in challenging yourself, you will get to know, and understand yourself, even better.

The late, great Muhammad Ali said, “It’s a lack of faith that makes us afraid of challenges.” Show your faith, in yourself, and your faith.