Don’t ask for a light load

Don’t ask for a light load, but rather ask for a strong back.-- Author Unknown

Remind yourself of all the times you believed the tasks ahead of you were too difficult or too demanding. What did you do? Did you give up and find something easier to tackle? Did you whine, cry, and complain until someone came to your aid and did the tasks for you? Did you do the tasks any kind of way just to get them done and then watch them turn out in a way that wasn’t so great or at least less than the best? Or did you just dig in until you got the missions accomplished?

Remind yourself of the times you dug in and worked hard and long to get a thing done. What’d you do? When you took the task apart a little at a time, did you stare the challenge in its face and declare yourself the conqueror – whether you believed it or not? Did you find your guts and chutzpah then slowly but certainly expand your brain power, temperament, outlook, and approach to get the job done? Did you focus your entire energies on the job and commit your mind and muscles to fully cooperate as you pulled off the task? The more intensive the task became, did you keep employing inward motivation and resolve, and when the task didn’t work just right the first time, did you push through surrender and discover new reserves of patience and resiliency tucked beside the alcoves of your wit and right below the bay of your heart? Did you look up and become encouraged as you saw the light at the end of the tunnel, your supporters cheering you on, and satisfaction approaching?

Did you pat yourself on the back when you got the thing done? Did you look different? Did you feel stronger, more powerful? Did you take that same look and feel on to the next task and get it done with the identical spirit, doggedness, courage, and gusto you mustered with your previous task? Did you have to dig deeper to find greater stockpiles of muscle and hustle? Did you find it easier to search your wellsprings for what you needed? When your territory was enlarged and your efforts paid off, did you celebrate your accomplishment and lovingly reward yourself with admiration?

The truth be told, the load doesn’t really ever get lighter, and the mess is usually always somewhere near. But you’ve built up enough ingenuity, agency, and willpower to get through it like the champ you are. Keep reminding yourself of that.

Of course, in retrospect, if you want to really assess and revere how far you’ve come, think of the situations in which you did throw in the towel, whine really loudly, and do the thing just any old way just to get it done. Yeah, you had your reasons for doing such – some valid, others shady. But now think on all the skill sets you’ve developed since that time. You’re stronger, wiser, sharper, more ambitious, and especially buoyant these days. Heck, if you wanted to, you could go back and handle all that stuff now. But what’s the point in going back when there’s so much more ahead to tackle? You didn’t know then what you know now, you weren’t supposed to, and who the hell’s keeping track anyway?

Take your load, take it slow, keep digging and building your backbone for the next load for a strong back makes for greater strides.

Sadiqqa © 2008