“What is defeat? Nothing but education; nothing but the first step to something better.” -Bruce Lee
When we look at some of our favorite athletes or our favorite competitors in a specific arena, we say “wow they’re amazing. No one (or group) can stop them”. Though that may not be true, you can not doubt the skill level these competitors have reached with such accolades being praised on their profession. We look at Michael Jordan being the best ever to play the game of basketball. We look at Muhammad Ali to be the greatest boxer of all time. We say Abraham Lincoln is the best president the United States has ever had. We say that there will never be another woman that can match the amount of success Oprah has reached. You may say that, but there’s always someone being told that they will never be a success in a particular profession like the previous individuals mentioned and they mine as well ‘hang it up’. But now, you see people like Lebron James, Tyra Banks, Barack Obama, Floyd Mayweather Jr. making huge success in their profession like the previous individuals mentioned before where they can be considered the “unbeatable”. Ladies and gentlemen I have news for ya, YOU can be considered the unbeatable as well.
As we grow and reach certain points in our lives, we tend to limit ourselves in adamantly saying, “I can’t…”. Though it may be true for the moment, know that its only “for the moment”; temporary as you will say. In our universe “can’t” will become “can”. In the famous words of Barack Obama’s campaign, “Yes we can”. As well as “don’t” becomes “do”, “I ain’t” becomes “I am”. A boy becomes a man. A girl becomes a woman. To the same affect, a poor man becomes a rich man. An unhealthy person becomes abundant with good health. A sad person becomes a happy person.
One of my favorite quotes(paraphrased) from Frederick Douglas is, “You get nothing without struggle…so maintain the struggle”. As “average” everyday living citizens of our nation, we go through obstacles one can’t imagine nor believe. At times we can feel hopeless and end up taking the easy way out…by giving up. Giving up on our dreams, goals, accomplishments, strengths, friendships, and so forth and so on. This is definitely NOT the answer. The answer is to know that you’re still alive and breathing. The answer is to recognise it, accept it, and grow by accepting and believing you can overcome it.
My mother battles rheumatoid arthritis every day of her life. When she was diagnosed, she needed a cane to walk, wrist-bands to hold things, restless nights from pain in her joints. She was going through things a human-being shouldn’t have to grow through. Years later, she didn’t need a cane to walk, she didn’t need wrist-bands to hold things, and she has good night sleeps that are pain-free. She still has rheumatoid arthritis, but she’s overcame it; it has no power over her. How did she do it you may ask? Not easy, but very simple. She changed her eating routines and got on a strict diet, did swimming exercises that loosened up her joints, and she simply…believed.
I started this blog post with a Bruce Lee quote, its only right that I end it with a Bruce Lee quote lol. This quote simply just sums up what I’ve talked about in this blog and its true meaning. “With adversity you are shocked to higher levels, much like a rain storm that is so violent, but yet afterwards all plants grow.”
Link to check out:
http://www.enbrel.com/ra/understanding-ra.jsp?channel=GOSEA&subchannel=SRAC
references from blog post:
“Striking Thoughts” Bruce Lee’s ‘Wisdom for Daily Living’
“Art of War” by Sun Tzu
Check out this music video by Robin Thicke “Can You Believe”:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgJOs9LR_IM
