Daryl Wood's Blog

I’ve often shared this quote by Mary Pickford “If you have made mistakes … there is always another chance for you. You may have a fresh start any moment you choose, for this thing we call ‘failure’ is not the falling down, but the staying down.”

Today is a fresh start for me. I slipped over these past couple of weeks and feeling the weight of self-imposed responsibility I veered off my course, let go of my stake. For a moment (in the grand scheme of things even a few weeks is only a moment) I took my eyes off my horizon and … I almost lost my footing.

Several events brought me back yesterday and in particular, last night I watched a program about a beautiful young woman in northern England who struggles with a diminishing physical condition. Her determination was so strong and focused in the face of growing obstacles that I sat glued to the television wanting the best outcome for her. It didn’t happen and I sat in awe of her incredibly optimistic point of view.

I wondered if it is easier to deal with a huge limitation when it is visible and you cannot avoid it rather than those that fester in our minds.  I know that for me it is indeed the thoughts that I engage with that keep me from doing what I know I would otherwise do. Any physical restrictions I might feel are so minimal compared to how I defeat myself emotionally.

Stories of physical heroics under adverse conditions are fortunately pretty common and the benefit is that we have visual accounts (Dick and Rick Hoyt are a great example of this). There are those who would say that there cannot be a fair comparison of physical versus emotional pain. People have died from both and because of both and while I would say that few of us would choose some of the physical deformities that people must live with, I imagine that just as few would choose to live with the mental anguish that many of us put ourselves through.

I know that the effort it takes to stop the flow of negative, self-sabotaging thoughts is just as intentional as the energy it takes to walk without legs . I know because I live it AND when I forget that I have the strength to overcome a lifetime of self-doubt I see someone like Mandy last night and I ask “why not me”. The only difference between us is that she keeps going and stays committed to making her life work.

So it is today that I have a fresh start. I am not staying down. I am not a failure. I am on track.