I have never been short on creating new challenges in life... and this week was certainly no exception. I barely had time to emotionally get past the idea of facing one new challenge before another one revealed itself. And then I come across this quote:
“Don’t aim at success - the more you aim at it and make it a target, the more you are going to miss it. For success, like happiness, cannot be pursued; it must ensue... as the unintended side-effect of one’s personal dedication to a course greater than oneself.” Viktor Frankl, Man’s Search For Meaning
Dr. Locke always includes a quote or two at the bottom of our Wind Ensemble schedules. I don't know how many of us actually pay attention to them, but I always read them - and he has an incredible intuition for sharing with us exactly what we need to hear in the perfect moment. My failures this week have occurred in very different aspects of my life - my research, my friendships, my self-awareness and confidence - and I spent this week thinking about each of them separately. But maybe if I realize that they really aren't all so different, I could find a better way to get through them. If I think of all of them as a "side-effect" of making my world a better place, perhaps in the end I will succeed. I don't think that means you can just toss everything off to the side and cross your fingers that it will end okay. Instead, I think it means as you're working on the details, you should be careful to not lose sight of the larger purpose, and your place in that purpose, making that your ultimate goal.
The hardest thing for me will be to let go of the little demons and distractions that will inevitably try to hinder that focus. The "devil on my shoulder" can become larger than life, too often and entirely too easily. Letting go of those ideas and false realities is a key to keeping focus, and it won't be easy.
Here we go! Wish me luck.
