I struggle.
I struggle all the time. Struggles with emotions, family, finances, work. I get knocked down every day. I know I am not alone. Sometimes you don’t want to keep pushing or moving forward, you simply want to stand still, go back, or just lie down.
A friend said to me recently that with all I blog about, it appears everything must be “going great”. Not even close. But the point is I am trying to do something about it. I appreciate the comment though because it’s an interesting perception. This is life. If I had the magic bullet to make every day work out perfectly and life to be one long joy-ride where nothing ever went wrong, no one died too soon, relationships always worked out, money was literally flowing into the bank and work was a breeze – then I should be given some kind of “greatest life ever” award.
But I do have a plan and I am on a journey. And if most of us are standing at the bottom of the mountain and looking up at the top – thinking I am never going to get there, it looks too steep, too far away, the climb is too hard – then what I am trying to accomplish is that climb and I’ve found a rope and a pickaxe to get me there, and you can too.
It’s all I’ve been reading, listening to, working on, the actions I am taking daily and the love and service I try to share. It’s not always perfect nor am I. I make mistakes, but I keep working at it, I refuse to give up or give in and I know the smallest of steps over time make the biggest difference. It’s the compound effect and maybe the most important factor in all of this, despite the challenges and the adversity I face, we face, every day, is this one single thing – I believe in myself. I’ve got my WHY and I’m not turning back. No matter what.
The ammunition I use to get through each day, each week, each month and the years begins with that foundation. Examples I turn to are this blog, now more than 330 posts strong with more than 70,000 participants. An invitation and a place on Huffington Post (the times when I utilize it). The Sunday Series – more than 40 stories of courage, hope and inspiration, shared with the world. A #1 Best-Selling book on Amazon. Invitations to speaking engagements to help motivate and inspire. My participation in a mastermind group with three other men who are now like brothers to me. My friendships. The growth of my financial planning practice – and the deepening relationships with those I serve through that practice and with those I co-workers with whom I choose to partner. My recognition now, in the present, for work I did nearly 20 years ago as an Emmy-Award winning TV producer. My volunteer work as a Board member the Ronald McDonald House Charities, and lastly, but actually at the top of the list – my family’s current good health, my children’s academic success and their personal growth and the loving support of my wife.
I struggle every day. But the point I am trying to make is the struggle is worth it. The snapshot of the past two years in the paragraph above, at least for me, proves it. But you have to believe. I have to believe. I have a plan and it includes little disciplines every day, reading, writing, listening, sharing, love, service and caring. What’s so easy to do is also easy not to do. Every time I read, I write, I speak, or I serve, life changes sometimes in completely minuscule ways, but the compound effect of those changes over time makes a huge difference. I know it because I am living it.
What are your struggles? How do you overcome? What is living proof of those accomplishments?
This blog is just part of what I am learning and sharing to become better by helping others to do the same. To help myself and so many more deal with the struggle of life. It is working. To positively impact the lives of a billion people. Some people are amazed by that mission, some laugh, some think I’m crazy, some could care less. It’s all OK. It’s all part of the journey. It’s part of my plan to deal with the challenges life throws at me every day and to leave a legacy to stand for all time.
I struggle. I believe. I am making a difference.
Until next time, thanks for taking the time.
Mark
Mark Brodinsky, Author, Blogger, Financial Services
The #1 Amazon Best-Seller: It Takes 2: Surviving Breast Cancer: A Spouse’s Story
(http://www.spouses-story.com/)
For ideas, comments or anything else you want to share: markbrodinsky@gmail.com
Thanks Mark!!
Your words are always an inspiration!!
March on!
Thanks Steve!