Over the course of my life I have been through many ups and downs. However in late 2011, years of bad decisions, poor leadership skills, and selfishness were about to catch up to me in one fail swoop. Several months later I found myself lying face down in my closet on the brink of losing everything…Yes everything! My career path was in ruin, I had destroyed friendships with bad behavior, and my wife was ready to move me and all my stuff into the dog house.
As I laid there on the floor, I had begun to accept my failure and I was in the process of convincing myself that I was really never going to amount to much, that I had missed the bus, and maybe my wife should just ditch me and go find someone worthy of having her. Suddenly, my wife turned the corner and I could see she was in a bit of shock to find me lying on the floor. I had ripped half my clothes off the hangers, thrown my shoes all over the place, and if I remember correctly I might have broken a few things that didn’t necessarily need breaking. There I was, all sprawled out in my boxer shorts, lying in a pile of clothes, shoes, belts, ties and possibly a broken stool!
I can remember my wife leaning against the door, crossing her arms, and as she took a deep breath she said, “Well, now what?” I tried to ignore her, hoping that she would go away, but she just stood there staring at her 10-year-old husband waiting for an answer. Finally, I responded like a 10-year-old and said, “What do you mean?” And do you know what she had the nerve to say? “Richard, as long as I have known you, I have never seen you quit or give up!” And then you know what she had the nerve to do? SHE FREAKING WALKED OUT!
As I laid there, suddenly my wife’s words began to sink into my thick skull. I began to realize that the one person who had the most legitimate reason to give up on me… hasn’t. She was still expecting me to get off the floor and take charge of our family and my life! Thanks to my wife’s words of wisdom, I could keep you reading for hours with the things I have accomplished since that day.
Here is what I want you to remember… as human beings we have a unique ability to do something that no other living thing on Earth can. We have the ability to co-author our own lives and experiences. We can change and create both who we are, and who we want to be. It’s easy to have a good attitude and a positive outlook on life when things are going well, but the true test comes when it’s falling apart. I have found that maintaining an optimistic point-of-view keeps me from falling short when faced with adversity.
Positive thinking may lead to a positive experience, but rarely will negative thinking produce a positive experience.
Richard Ross
A life-long knowledge seeker!