Photo: SweetOnVeg, Flickr
Inspiration comes in strange places, and I found some recently while watching episode No. 2 of ”Survivor Nicaragua.” If you’re tuning in this season, you know that former NFL football coach Jimmy Johnson was competing for a million bucks (sadly, he was voted off in episode No. 3). Now, I don’t know much about Jimmy (because I don’t know much about football), but I kinda like the guy. He’s calm, focused, and he spit out some really great motivational messages for his team. Here’s the one I like best:
Background: Survivor player Holly found herself struggling with the game. The mental challenge was too much, she was acting not like herself (she loaded a teammate’s shoes with sand and sunk them in the ocean because she heard him talking about her), and she was ready to head for the hills. Jimmy told her the team needed her and encouraged her to reconsider going home. Then, he asked a pivotal question: He asked her if she could do it for one more day.
She stayed in the game.
I think this is just perfect for those of us leaning toward giving up, quitting, or walking away from the tough stuff. Maybe it’s a grueling run with chemo, a job that seems unforgiving, or a bunch of crazy kids challenging you to the core. One more day. Surely, you can survive that. And you know what, after that 24 hours, you can probably conquer another, and then another, until before you know it, life just isn’t so bad anymore. One day at a time, baby steps, tunnel vision, call it what you want — just remember that if you don’t stress about the whole big picture, you can probably manage whatever madness faces you.
Caroline R on 10/7/2010 at 7:11 am said:
Very true. Take it one day at a time. I think with cancer, you look at the big picture because the treatment goes on and on. We need to take a step back and cope one day at a time.
Nancy on 10/7/2010 at 12:16 pm said:
I used to think the saying “take it one day at a time” was so cliche and had little meaning. Now I understand the wisdom in those simple words. Sometimes the big picture is too much to look at and focusing on today can really help, no matter what the situation.