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“We must not become dry, brittle, and inflexible.”


A thought by John C. Maxwell from his book, Beyond Talent (p. 137). HarperCollins Leadership. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)

Ok, so what does that mean?

John says, “Harvard professor of psychiatry George E. Vaillant, in his book Aging Well, identifies resiliency as a significant characteristic of people who navigate the many transitions of life from birth to old age. He writes, “Resilience reflects individuals who metaphorically resemble a twig with a fresh, green living core. When twisted out of shape, such a twig bends, but it does not break; instead, it springs back and continues growing.’

“That’s an excellent description of how we must be if we desire to persevere through adversity and make the most of the talent we have. We must not become dry, brittle, and inflexible. And we must endeavor to bounce back, no matter how we may feel. We would be wise to remember the words of former NBA player, coach, and executive Jerry West: ‘You can’t get much done in life if you only work on the days you feel good.’”

John said earlier, “The NBA’s Pat Riley has won many championships as a basketball coach. In his book The Winner Within, he writes, ‘Complacency is the last hurdle any winner, any team must overcome before attaining potential greatness. Complacency is the success disease: it takes root when you’re feeling good about who you are and what you’ve achieved.’ It’s ironic, but past success can be the fiercest enemy to future success.”

John said, “If you think you have arrived, then you’re in trouble. As soon as you think you no longer need to work to make progress, you’ll begin to lose ground.”

So, how do you feel today?  Are you going to keep at it no matter how you feel?

Yes, yes!

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