Storm Chasers, Life Sentences, and Finding Our Place

Success and Failure

Two people growing up in poverty and difficult circumstances, one of them overcomes the adversity and becomes wildly successful in life, the other doesn’t.  We have all heard stories like this.  But why do some people overcome all kinds of adversity, while others continue to be victims of their circumstances?  The biggest reason is choice.  It may be one of the most important ideas to unlocking your Greatness and living your calling, and the good news is you are completely in control of your choices.

While you are completely in control of your choices, you may have little control over many circumstances in your life initially and even throughout your life.  However, you do have a choice in the way you respond to those circumstances.  Our journey through life is complex, but three main tenets every person embodies in life are subjectivity, individual freedom, and choice.  And being intentional about what you choose to believe and do are powerful in life trending toward what you want to do and be. 

Subjectivity

You and I are subject to everything.  From the moment we are conceived, forces are at work upon us.  From our DNA to how Mom or Dad raised us; from where we grew up to our religious beliefs or worldview; from our education to our job opportunities; from our wealth to the weather; from our community’s ethics to our own morality.  These forces are constantly pressing upon us, from without and within, and they shape us consciously or subconsciously.  We are subject to these forces, and we are absolutely free to choose how we respond to these forces.

Life Sentences

Here’s a quick grammar lesson.  In a sentence, the subject of the sentence acts.  The subject is always a noun or a pronoun.  You and I are nouns (Okay, literally “you” and “I” are pronouns but you know what I mean.).  But there is also another place in a sentence for a noun.  It is the object of a sentence.  In a sentence, a noun can also be a direct or indirect object.  Either way, an object is acted upon.  The difference is that a subject acts and an object is acted upon.

            Life is like a series of sentences, and we are the subjects or the objects.  When life happens we will either act or be acted upon.  Sometimes we will be acted upon, and then we choose our placement in the next sentence.  Will we continue to be acted upon or will we act?  Will we choose to be a victor or a victim?

        

            The difference between being the subject or the object is the difference between being either proactive or reactive.  Proactive people act before a circumstance.  They anticipate what is coming, and they plan what they will do.  By doing so, they are able to not only anticipate the various outcomes, but lead the outcome in the direction they would like to see occur.  They are also able to adjust in the midst of circumstances because a plan with a predetermined desired result gives them a goal and set intention to work toward.  Reactive people react as a circumstance occurs.  They have no idea what is coming, and they choose not to think through ahead of time what they will do.  They let circumstances happen to them all of the time, and by the time they respond, the outcome usually is not desirable.  Proactive people have vision, and vision is wisdom!  Reactive people lack vision and, as a result, wisdom.  Proactive people learn from experience.  Reactive people just try to survive the experience.

Finding Our Place

Take your place in the sentences of life as the subject and not the object.  When the forces of life press upon you, act!  Ask, “What will I do?” and do it!  Life is not always fair or easy.  It does not always turn out the way we’d like.  In those moments of struggle remember that success and failure partner with each other, and go through failure to get to success. Those who live their callings recognize they have the power to choose how they see life and what they will do with their life.  The big question is, "Are you going to truly live the sentences of life, or are you going to live a life sentence?"

Storm Chasers

            All of us will face storms in life, some a result of our choices, others a result of forces pressing upon us we have little control over.  The one constant in either scenario is what we will do.  As we ride out the storm, we can use The Listen and Learn Technique: listen, reflect, learn, adjust and move on to the next moment, making choices that will help us overcome the exact same storm, or, at least, prepare us for the next storm ( Punxsutawney Phil and The Listen and Learn Technique).

            For the storms we helped create from our choices, leadership expert Tim Redmond says, “Weak people look outward and blame others.  Strong people look inward and make adjustments.”[i]  This applies to all storms, even the ones we didn't play a role in creating.  Weak people ask, What is happening to me?  Why is this happening to me?  Strong people ask, What am I learning?  What will I do?  How will I adjust?  Strong people confront and go through adversity trying various solutions, and they continue trying until they overcome the challenge.  Ralph Waldo Emerson writes, “A hero is no braver than an ordinary man, but he is braver five minutes longer.”[ii]  Practice heroism!  Strong people fall down seven times and get up eight.

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[i] Tim Redmond helps all kinds of organizations and businesses with “transformational growth.”  To explore Tim’s ideas go to https://redmondgrowth.com.

[ii] Emerson, Ralph Waldo.  Essays.  Westvaco, 1978. Print.