All the time I was growing up I remember hearing that only two things were certain in life: death and taxes. My insurance career has taught me that death is truly certain; my observations in life have taught me taxes, not so much. Many don’t pay taxes, many avoid paying taxes, some evade paying taxes, and a few even go to jail for not paying taxes. Is there then just one certainty in human life, namely death?
It seems to me that at there are at least three other certainties in life. We will explore those and try to see how overcoming each of them will make life much more pleasant. Our contribution to our society and even our personal success is impacted by how we face these issues so let’s begin our discussion.
CERTAINTY #1: IF YOU DON’T GO AFTER WHAT YOU WANT, YOU’LL NEVER GET IT!! Someone has written “he (or she) who hesitates is lost.” Unfortunately some not only hesitate, but they never start. Others get into the start-stop routine and barely ever get past starting. When we have decided what we want the next step is to go for it! We fear failure, and yet, failing to try assures failure. John Greenleaf Whittier had it right when he wrote that the saddest words were “it might have been.”
CERTAINTY # 2: IF YOU DO NOT ASK THE ANSWER WILL ALWAYS BE NO!! My insurance career proved that to me early. My manager Paul Hutsey told me that asking and getting a no brought me to closer to the next yes. Yes answers were what made the difference so just ignore the nos and move on!! Jesus Himself agreed with this when He said “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you” in Matthew 7:7.
CERTAINTY #3: IF YOU DON”T PUT ONE FOOT FORWARD YOU WILL ALWAYS BE IN THE SAME PLACE!! As the Chinese proverb says, “the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” This is closely related to the first certainty, but a little different. This one is more directed toward our “comfort zone” and realizing that life’s adventure is in exploring new places, thoughts, or ideas. Adjustments may have to be made along the way, but life’s joy is about the journey, not the destination!
We will all face each of the certainties many times in various aspects of our lives. In order to succeed (or fail) in life depends upon how we handle the encounters.
