All to Give

"I will grow. I will become something new and grand, but no grander than I now am. Just as the sky will be different in a few hours, its present perfection and completeness is not deficient, so am I presently perfect and not deficient because I will be different tomorrow. I will grow and I am not deficient." -Wayne Dyer

Our lives are full of choices regarding how we are willing to give of ourselves. We choose to apply either small or large amounts of energy to accomplish a task. Many times we choose to give nothing as we are afraid of failure. The idea that you could attempt something and not complete it frightens you.

There are times when you give only a partial effort as you believe the perception of having tried is all that is needed. You step half way, keeping one foot firmly planted on solid ground. A goal can never be achieved by half-trying. When you give all that you can in attempting those things in life, there is no failure in not achieving the goal. In many respects, you may find that what you eventually achieve is not necessarily what you first wanted.

A great example comes from a friend who recently passed away.

Belinda is a dear friend of our family, one of those people everyone should have as a friend. As many of us are, she was not as athletic as she once was. But this particular day, the goal she wanted to achieve was only forty feet away.

It would be equivalent to some twenty steps if walking, but this forty feet was straight up. It was a climbing tower with varying challenges for even the most fit. The goal or reward once reaching the top was an exhilarating zip line ride down over a lake. The ultimate reward after accomplishing a tough climb.

Belinda was determined and resolute in not letting fear or physical limitations from achieving the prize. So up the first ten feet of cross bars and transitioning to a netted ladder. Difficult climbing if one is not used to using the many muscles in your legs and arms on a daily basis.

Exhaustion was beginning to make a presence when she made it through twenty feet of climbing. The next ten feet involved climbing a swinging ten foot log. There are foot pegs at various points, but again the physical requirements will take its toll.

The fear and trust in the equipment always plays with you mentally as you climb for the first time. A chorus of encouragement rang out as Belinda made it up to the thirty foot level. By now though she had given everything physically that she could. She had expended any remaining amount of energy that her body could muster for the final ten feet.

I have heard the phrase "giving it all" said many times but it isn't often that you truly see it happen. Many times people are said to "give it all", but have more left in them. This time I saw it unfold before us, Belinda had given all that she had. There were words of encouragement and adoration for a great attempt.

Belinda may not have achieved the goal she set out for, but I do believe she achieved something else. It was a prize found inside, a new found belief in herself and the possibilities in life.

You see, all of us will learn something about ourselves when we step out and as we move towards a goal in the belief that we will succeed. Accept that your mission to succeed may result in finding something completely different. The end result may mean achieving something far greater for your life.

Give it all when moving towards a dream and embrace what you eventually find. Belinda achieved perfection in that moment and so can you. Stay inspired my friends.