Daily Mood Quote
Day 32 – June 5, 2011
If you hear a voice within you say “you cannot paint,” then by all means paint, and the voice will be silenced. ~Vincent Van Gogh
In my lifetime the words “you cannot” have been said to me often. First, and most impactfully by my mother, every time I wanted to try something new. I, like many, had most of my youth packed with “you can't do that” memories. I remember, once as a young adult in boot camp I was struggling to make the one mile run. It was required to pass the physical education section to graduate. So, I called home looking for support. What was I thinking? I suppose I was seeking approval and once again, I got “you can't”... pass the run.” I have really never believed that quitting was a valid option. So, when my mother said that, something in me changed. Something told me that I didn't believe in “cannot” anymore. The voice that had for so long said “you cannot”, changed to one that boldly stated “Yes, you can!” In that moment determination was born and I grew up.
The next day, I passed the one mile run to graduate and shared my tears of joy and pain with many of my fellow enlistees (turns out I ran with torn ligaments in my ankles). Unfortunately, I did not graduate with them, because I failed the final written exam (I worked to hard to pass the run and not hard enough to pass the written test). However, I was given a second chance to pass the test and graduated a week later. Determination...
Life doesn't always hand things out like coupons at a kiosk and if you want them... A career, a friendship, pretty much anything that holds significance, you often have to develop the determination to mentally push past the negative voice and sometimes the pain, that says you cannot and find the “Yes you can!” that lies within.
Today's quote From Vincent Van Gogh talks about painting, but I think inside everyone one of us lies that subtle detractor, that little “you cannot” voice, that attempts to keep us from reaching for our dreams and achieving our potential. In the Disney movie The Rookie, Baseball player Jimmy Morris (played by Dennis Quaid) was an established teacher and baseball coach, to the world, to the people in his world he was by all accounts a success. But in his heart he hadn't achieve his potential, because of “you can't.” It came from negative talk and lack of support by his father. Overcoming the odds; being out of baseball for years, having a serious shoulder injury, his age, and the weight of family responsibilities (mortgage, kids, wife, etc...) he picked up his glove and pursued his dream... one 98 mph fastball at a time. Maybe that's the thing: Keep throwing strikes until you achieve your true potential. Most importantly, it begins with believing YOU CAN.
No single movie quote today, because the entire movie carries a great message.
What “you cannot” will you throw fastballs past today?
Tune in tomorrow to read the daily mood quote
Thank you for reading
No comments:
Post a Comment