I have this fascination with intense training and the army. I even signed up to join the South African Air Force, didn’t get in but you know I would have been a damn good fighter pilot! Another thing I’m fascinated by is Navy SEALS and the training they go through. I have read and heard that Navy SEAL training includes having your feet and hands tied up and jumping into a deep ass pool, kicking from the bottom up, catching your breath and then sinking down again. (I think there is a weight involved there also, I’m not sure, I’m not a SEAL, I wish I was… G.I Jane next level). The point of this exercise is not too measure your lung capacity or even how well you kick up. It’s to test how calm you stay under water when impending danger and even death is lurking. If you have watched American Sniper (which I urge you all to do) you will kinda see what I mean.
It’s a face your fears kinda deal…
It’s all about keeping calm and level headed. As usual I try and see the lesson in there. Constantly seeing lessons and never learning… Anyway, the lesson that I got from that was that even when all the odds are against you, your hands are tied and you feel like you are drowning, just stay calm, assess the situation and focus on what you can control. So you owe a shit load of money and you don’t think you will make it each month, don’t go and get another loan to pay of the first loan, that’s like chopping your hand off because your foot is missing. Take a deep breath, re-assess your budget, or better yet START a budget. Look at reasonable cuts you can make to your budget to make sure that all the essentials get paid. Listen, you don’t NEED a gym membership if you can hardly put petrol into your car. Just as well as you don’t NEED to eat out at fancy restaurants at R500 a pop per weekend if you end up having to scrape change together for bread and milk halfway through the month. Keep a level head, because it’s during the panic that we make stupid decisions.
Then I watched this
We can all learn something from this. I have a great deal of respect for people who embrace discipline and order, maybe because I struggle to impose it onto myself and sometimes wish I had a personal drill sergeant telling me what a softy I am. Even more than that, I respect people who know how to discipline themselves, how to say no that that last slab of choc-apocalypse ice-cream. How to force themselves to see past the obstacle and envision the reward at the end. See the finish line at the beginning of the race and have the determination to go through with it, keeping that finish line in sight at all times.
I respect those who come alongside others who struggle with running their own race, and stop (effectively stalling their own race, using their own resources and time) to help these people finish. In today’s world we are all after our own goals, we are all after our own self-actualisation (lekker big-ass word for an Afrikaans person) that we stop to consider that we are in a community, a fellowship and we are all here to help one another.
Hmm… food for thought!
I say all of this not because I am philanthropist of the year or even Wonder-woman (but also, have you seen wonder-woman and myself at the same time?? hmmm… just saying), I just say this as a reminder to myself that every-one has a struggle of their own, and we should all try and keep each other calm and level-headed. What’s the point of both of us drowning if I have an oxygen tank and you’re a strong swimmer, but we try it to make it on our own instead of co-labouring.
Just a thought!
lukraakvars 