2013
has been a hell of a year already and if the hurdles that we have had
to overcome are any indication of what the event will be like... It
promises to be a grueling, arduous and demanding Challenge for everyone
involved!!
As
you may have seen on our Facebook page, Jim's grandfather (Chief Oliver
Red Cloud) took ill in the beginning of January and has remained in the
hospital ever since as he continues to fight for his life. The trip
from Pine Ridge to Rapid City to visit him has kept family members on
the road and in hotels for weeks and his absence has taken a toll on
everyone. All that anybody can do now is wait, pray and hope.
I
find it a touch ironic that this came on the heels of my last
blog post where I lauded the Chief for his tenacity and perseverance.
But, as one of our Challengers said... "It is not in his DNA to give up
with out a fight." The old man continues to amaze and inspire me. He
continues to make me think...
I
was corresponding with one of our riders about some adversity that he
has faced recently and when the conversation turned to the future
(whether he will be working in a month from now much less whether he
will be able to participate in the Hoka Hey Challenge this summer), he
said "If it is meant to be - it will be". Now... I've heard this comment
at various times throughout my life and, with certain exceptions such as
the loss of a loved one or losing your job when the company you work
for falls off of the fiscal cliff; the concept doesn't always sit well
with me. For my own part, I believe in self-fulfilling prophesy, I
believe you get what you expect, I believe it pays to be optimistic and I
believe that if you want something badly enough nothing is going to stop you.
This
is not to say that I think we have complete control over our lives or
that attitude is absolute. I am enough of a realist to question the
likelihood that my thoughts will affect much of anything that occurs
outside of my own head. (Certainly I won't go so far as to think that an
envelope from Black Hills Power Company will contain anything except a
bill - no matter how much I wish it were a check.) But, I do know that
when things are going well and I am feeling up, not only am I a whole
lot easier to get along with but I think more clearly, I am more
confident, and I am more productive; which in turn makes me more
confident, which makes me more productive which makes me a whole lot
easier to get along with. And so it goes.
To
quote the writer Charles R. Swindoll "I believe the single most
significant decision I can make on a day-to-day basis is my choice of
attitude. It is more important than my past, my education, my bankroll,
my successes or failures, fame or pain, what other people think of me or
say about me, my circumstances, or my position. Attitude keeps me going
or cripples my progress. It alone fuels my fire or assaults my hope.
When my attitudes are right, there is no barrier too high, no valley too
deep, no dream too extreme, no challenge too great for me."
Hoka Hey!
When facing a difficult task, act as though it is impossible to
fail.
If you're going after Moby Dick, take along the tartar sauce!
If you're going after Moby Dick, take along the tartar sauce!
The Complete Life's Little Instruction Book by H. Jackson Brown Jr.
