“When you factor in vision and work ethic, much of life is
malleable.” – Ryan Holiday
Malleable, Adamant, Self-confident
“A huge roll of hay came down and crushed him! It’s a miracle he’s alive! They’re such a
wonderful family. I’m so glad they
bought my land.” Nancy said to me, after she finished signing the final
document to settle her transaction with Chad and Shondell Hymas.
Chad and Shondell had left our meeting just a few minutes
earlier. They were off to finish helping
at the stock show held as part of our county fair. I held the door as they left the
building. Chad rolled through with
Shondell lightly pressuring the handles on his wheelchair.
“She pushes me everywhere I go!” Chad said to me in a
lighthearted manner. That may be true, and
something else pushes Chad along as well.
“I wanted to buy this farm because I want my family to be
tied to the land. I want them to
remember their heritage. There is just
something about the land and its relationship to people. It seems to mold us. It shapes us into people we’d never become
without it.” Chad explained to me. The
land has molded Chad and it has combined with one over-arching obstacle to make
him in to a person he never dreamed he could become.
Chad is still a farmer and he still views himself as
such. He is also a professional
speaker. He travels the globe giving
people inspiration. The Wall Street
Journal calls Chad one of the 10 most inspirational people in the world!”
“I get asked on a daily
basis how I am so happy despite my circumstances. How did I remain
positive through all the changes that were taking place that surrounded my
accident? Let me answer you this, I am happy in spite of my
circumstances. Because of the things that I have learned on this journey,
mostly the last 11 years of my life, that I would have never experienced
otherwise. These experiences have shaped my life and made me who I have
become today. There were times right after my accident that I am not
proud of and I wish to not even recollect, but throughout that time and more
recent times, these are the things that I have found truly work for me.”
The obstacles and
experiences you and I face will work for us the same way they’ve worked for
Chad if we’ll let them. We just need to
remember three things. Be malleable. Be
Adamant. Be self-confidant.
Be malleable. People
often get tied to a false idea about what their life should have been or how it
should be now. I remember asking one
friend why he was so upset all of the time.
He responded, “My life didn’t turn out the way I thought it would.” Such an approach to life leaves a person
impossibly wanting and missing out.
Their next opportunity might have allowed their to be better. Unfortunately, they’ll never know because
they didn’t allow such opportunities to blossom! People falling into this trap have forestalled
the possibility of life being better than they thought it could be! You and I
can avoid this trap. We can expand our perspective to allow for the unforeseen
to enrich our lives.
Be Adamant. There
will be times in our lives when people will try to make decisions for us. When this happens we must be unwavering in
seeking what we want in life. When it
happens simple ask, “If I show up, will you give me a fair look? Be straight with me, if I come and try, will
you give me a chance?” Focus your
efforts on what you want to accomplish, not on things of the past that you
can’t change.
Be Self-confident. Know
“What is up to us, what is not up to us.”
Ryan Holiday gave me a list of “what is up to us.” Here’s Ryan’s list of what we can control:
Our emotions
Our judgments
Our creativity
Our attitude
Our perspective
Our desires
Our decisions
Our determination
As Chad and Shondell left our meeting I recognized resolute
determination. I could see it in their
eyes as they rolled down the handicap ramp while exiting the building. As I watched them leave, I could see myself
beginning to roll in the same direction.
I wanted to be more malleable, adamant and self-confident as a result of
knowing them.
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