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Endurance:
Step
Plus - Bonus Article
Take One Step at a Time
It’s not magic. It’s
simple physics. The impressive bed of nails braved by magicians
demonstrates a simple yet extremely useful principle of physics:
the principle of weight distribution.
When you step
with your full weight on a single nail, the force/unit are ration is
very high. When a force lose to your body weight is centered on a
single point the size of a nail, a puncture wound is certain to
follow.
Contrary to the
visual effect of lying down on a whole bed of nails, however, the
presence of not a few, but hundreds of sharp nails, significantly
decreases the force/unit area ratio. The bed of nails disperses
body weight over a greater number of points. The result is a much
lower force/unit area ratio: each nail bears only a small portion of
the overall body weight, small enough that no skin is punctured.
(Or so one hopes!)
Endurance is
facing a great weight with this principle in mind. As you visualize
the whole problem looming before you at once, it may be more than
you can bear. But perhaps you can take it in measured steps,
spreading out its force over realistic degrees.
After her own
daring escape, Harriet Tubman returned to slave territories 19
times to bring her family members and others to freedom. More
than 300 slaves were freed through her repeated ventures. Such a
massive operation would have appeared impossible if attempted all at
once, but it was successful when taken one day – and one step – at a
time.
Harriet’s
efforts were commonly spoken of as part of the “Underground
Railroad,” but this railroad was not mapped out and had no published
schedule. Each trip required new plans and constant vigilance. She
had to adjust to meet each day as it came – the way of endurance.
Break big
pressures into manageable steps. Face each day and each goal, one
at a time, and be ready to adjust as necessary.
Discouragement
results when one tried to emotionally bear the whole load at
once, when in reality you have no choice but to address the
situation step by step.
Like a magician
before a bed of nails, or a Harriet Tubman bearing the weight of her
calling, endure through the principle of weight distribution. Do
not try to carry any more weight emotionally than you can act upon
in reality. Face one day, one step, one goal – one at a time.
Step on the Job
Some people
devote their careers to breaking huge projects into organized
processes. Each person in the team is assigned, it is hoped, only
as much as he or she can realistically accomplish in a given time.
The same concept
is also valid for managing one’s emotions. After recognizing the
overall view of a problem, don’t let the whole weight of it remain
on your shoulders. Balance that weight with your daily steps toward
resolving it.
It is much
easier to divide up a concrete project than to apportion emotional
pressure, but it is a necessary exercise of endurance to roll your
burden aside and pick up only as much of it as you can actually
carry that day.
Character
definitions and information used by permission. Copyright Character Training
Institute.
characterfirst.com
Bonus Article:
Two Choices
At a fundraising dinner for a
school that serves learning-disabled children, the father of one of
the students delivered a speech that would never be forgotten by all
who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated staff, he
offered a question: "When not interfered with by outside influences,
everything nature does is done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay,
cannot learn things as other children do. He cannot understand
things as other children do. Where is the natural order of things in
my son?"
The audience was stilled by the query.
The father continued. "I believe that when
a child like Shay, physically and mentally handicapped,
comes into the world an opportunity to realize true human nature
presents itself, and it comes in the way other people treat that
child."
Then he told the following story:
Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew
were playing baseball. Shay asked, "Do you think they'll let me
play?" Shay's father knew that most of the boys would not want
someone like Shay on their team, but the father also understood that
if his son were allowed to play, it would give him a much-needed
sense of belonging and some confidence to be accepted by others in
spite of his handicaps.
Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for
guidance and said, "We're losing by six runs and the game is in the
eighth inning. I guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put
him in to bat in the ninth inning."
Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put
on a team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and
warmth in his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being
accepted. In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a
few runs but was still behind by three. In the top of the ninth
inning, Shay put on a glove and played in the right field. Even
though no hits came his way, he was obviously ecstatic just to be in
the game and on the field, grinning from ear to ear as his father
waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the ninth inning,
Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases loaded,
the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
next at bat.
At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to
win the game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat. Everyone knew
that a hit was all but impossible because Shay didn't even know how
to hold the bat properly, much less connect with the ball.
However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing
that the other team was putting winning aside for this moment in
Shay's life, moved in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay
could at least make contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung
clumsily and missed. The pitcher again took a few steps forward to
toss the ball softly towards Shay. As the pitch came in, Shay swung
at the ball and hit a slow ground ball right back to the pitcher.
The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder
and could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay
would have been out and that would have been the end of the game.
Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's
head, out of reach of all team mates. Everyone fro m the stands and
both teams started yelling, "Shay, run to first! Run to first!"
Never in his life had Shay ever run that far, but he made it to
first base. He scampered down the baseline, wide-eyed and startled.
Everyone yelled, "Run to second, run to second!" Catching his
breath, Shay awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling
to make it to the base. By the time Shay rounded towards second
base, the right fielder had the ball ... the smallest guy on their
team who now had his first chance to be the hero for his
te am. He
could have thrown the ball to the second-baseman for the tag, but he
understood the pitcher's intentions so he, too, intentionally threw
the ball high and far over the third-baseman's head Shay ran toward
third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him circled the bases
toward home.
All were screaming, "Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay"
Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help
him by turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, "Run
to third! Shay, run to third!"
As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators,
were on their feet screaming, "Shay, run home! Run home!" Shay ran
to home, stepped on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit
the grand slam and won the game for his team.
"That day", said the father softly with tears now rolling down his
face, "the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love
and humanity into this world".
Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having
never forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy and
coming home and seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero
of the day!
Anonymous
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