“If you want to change the world . . . don’t be afraid of The Circus.” I often joke about that when chaos ensues in life that it is not my circus and certainly not my monkeys to tend after. Just by telling myself that phrase, I usually laugh and cheer up despite the spiraling craziness around me. I am usually pretty content to be an observer to the circus, rather than a participant. But, that is not the approach Admiral McRaven has proposed. His version of The Circus and my version of the circus in this context are drastically different. Admiral McRaven’s idea of The Circus is yet another SEAL training experience that I can, with great assurance, say that I would never survive. It consists of hours upon hours of torturous conditions to ensure that the best of the best and strongest SEAL trainees make the ranks. My version of the circus is any potential for a shift in my routine or excitement that I am less than thrilled to encounter. Obviously, my circus encounter is hardly comparable to that of the SEAL team’s Circus, but I can make the connection and gain the same life perspective. I may not always enjoy the circus that I am a part of for the time being, but there comes the point in life that I guess warrants us of becoming the ringleader of our own circus. We ultimately have the power to decide how and when our circus packs up and moves on to the next unsuspecting ringleader. “If you want to change the world . . . slide down the obstacle headfirst.” Any challenge or obstacle we must conquer will inevitably make us stronger on the other side. There is no denying that. We may be faced with a challenge, and our eyes only show us what failure can look like as the outcome. The deceit we believe hinders our ability to see the potential we all contain. If we go into a trying time with the mindset that failure will be the outcome, there is no chance of having a healthy confidence level. The shift of our thought process must occur for the fear factor to be removed as a determining factor in decision making. Once I learned this lesson, I appreciated having the option of failure. It sounds like a weird thing to appreciate. I do not view it as a crutch when something does not go the way I envision. Instead, I look at it like this: each opportunity is filled with lessons, so if I succeed or if I fail, the act did not happen in vain. I give it my all either way, and however it ends will prove to me the very reasons why it was worth trying to begin with. With each try, it builds character and teaches us to take on every opportunity with courageous strides. Stay Curious, Kayla ©Inquisitive Perspectives 2018
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