Determination

Over the summer I have been confronted with the kind of determination that shows strength of mind, willpower, resolve, fortitude, stubbornness of purpose and grit. If you’ve read my blog, That One Elusive Goal, you will understand why I admire people who are able to set a goal for themselves and overcome all the odds to come out victorious on the other side. My writing goals, though important to me, are nothing compared to the examples I’ll list for you.

I saw determination in the face of a young soldier trying to get used to his new prosthetic legs, his real legs being lost in battle for our freedom. It was an excruciating, sweat-producing, face twisting kind of determination not often seen in public places.
 

   "Failure will never overtake me if my determination to succeed is strong enough." Og Mandino

Flowers growing from a
mountain's rock face

I saw delicate flowers growing through the stone face of a mountain. What kind of determination did it take for them to press and struggle against solid rock to get a peek at the sunshine?  How far was it from their hidden roots to the fresh air they struggled to find? Was it an act of worship to their creator that caused them to want to show themselves so beautifully?

 “For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.” Isaiah 55:12

I saw a woman who suffered through cancer to come out on the other side determined to show the demon cancer it had not stolen her life. She trained and entered the 2011 Ironman contest in Hawaii.   The Ironman triathlon consists of a 2.4 mile swim, followed immediately by a 112 mile bicycle ride, and concludes with the running of a marathon. 

Official rules say the race has to be finished by midnight of the day it begins. This precious lady made her way through all three events, breathlessly crossing the finish line at four seconds past midnight. Official records indicate she didn’t finish, but she and her family who greeted her as she crossed that line, know that she accomplished what she set out to do. She proved to herself, her family, and to cancer that she still had life to live.

"Desire is the key to motivation, but it's determination and commitment to an unrelenting pursuit of your goal - a commitment to excellence - that will enable you to attain the success you seek." Mario Andretti

On a lighter note, I saw my granddaughter, Emma, and my grandson, Matthew, new swimmers, diligently trying to learn how to retrieve diving rings from the bottom of the swimming pool. Not known for having very long attention spans, I saw these five-year olds throw the rings into the pool over and over for more than an hour and a half. The spirit of competition between them ramped up their determination. They had fun working together, got some fresh air and exercise, and learned a new skill in the process.

 "It's not that I'm so smart, it's just that I stay with problems longer." Albert Einstein

What does your determination level look like? Are you an “I am, I can, I will!” or an “I can’t, I should have, I wish I had?”  I find that my perfectionist, procrastinator personality makes me some of both.  Because of the examples I’ve seen this summer, I am determined to be more of an “I am, I can, I will!”

Will you join me in this quest to be all I can be through the One who created me to be like Him?

Go and make this a lovely joy-filled day-

Cathy