If life is like a river, most folks float downstream.
I’ve been thinking about this since yesterday – I had several very important things I could have been doing that would have been very fulfilling. They would have moved me along on my path in life towards more of the results that I wanted…but there I was, watching some mindless TV program. I was floating downstream.
Thankfully, I spend a lot more time nowadays pushing upstream. The good stuff is upstream, isn’t it? I think we all know it inside.
I’ve heard it said that the real difference between people is how they spend their time. You have only one life to spend, and you have to spend it. In the end, will it have been spent well or squandered?
Here are some important things that are upstream: a fulfilling career that we love and for which we’re well paid, deep and meaningful relationships with God and the people we care about, and excellent physical health. I’ve never gotten any of these while floating downstream, and I’ve done my share of floating downstream. Today I do have these things – to the degree that I swam upstream for them.
As I write this, I’m proctoring the Houston, TX pre-licensing final exam. I’m looking at the students – heads bent down over the test and I’m thinking about their careers as they head out into the adjusting world. I’m silently praying for their success, and I can say honestly that I wish every one of them the very best. But here’s what I know – I had to swim upstream in my adjusting career, and they will too. Rising above the pack takes effort. Excellence takes a serious investment of time and energy. But damn, it’s worth it!
