💪🔥WHY IF I CAN TAKE IT, I CAN MAKE IT
From Struggles to Strength
Dear Why Team member,
I hope this week’s message finds you well and encouraged to keep at it, the year just started. This week we consider:
"If I can take it, I can make it"
History…the perfect glasses through which to look into the future.
In many corporate America sales jobs, the beginning of the year means leveling the playing field, no matter where you ended last year, everyone starts with 0. If you don’t love what you do, this can be truly very daunting. Those however who built a career in sales, the ones that do good onto others, not just sell a product, are not as affected by the big 0 attached to their name in January; they see it more as an opportunity to go out there and continue enriching lives.
One of my favorite books of all time is "Unbroken" by Laura Hillenbrand, a World War II story of survival and resilience. My mother gave it to me many years ago and the life story of Louis Zamperini, besides blowing me away, made me think how many amazing stories are out there that we will never hear - and, how we, ourselves, will live and create many powerful stories. The movie version of the story was released about 10 years ago. The WWII scene of the flying B-24 in combat is alone worth the viewing.
But it is the mantra shared throughout the movie that got my attention:
"If I can take it, I can make it"
Who says those words? Well, in the book, Pete, a teenager at that time, shares this insight with his brother Louis, the main character, who is trying for the track team. This becomes Louis’ mantra to boost his self-confidence and serves him for many years to come.
We hear about the importance of self-confidence ad nauseam, and how important it is to our ability to believe in ourselves. While self-confidence is extremely helpful, it is self-efficacy that best supports us during life's challenges. Self-efficacy, more-so than self-esteem, develops within us an attitude of "bring it on, I can handle whatever life dishes out."
As I have written in the past, no one asks for a character-building experience, but isn’t it through our adversities that we really come to know what we are made of?
“If you can take it, you can make it"
And the point is… you, can take it!
Look at you, look what you have already overcome. You can take it, and You can make it.
The thousand-mile journey may, in the moment, look impossible but, let not the distance have power over you, your self-efficacy can help push you to just take one more step. Those who keep taking one more step in the direction of their dreams most often achieve them. Don’t let fear make you look anywhere else but forward; keep fear in your hand, but far away from your heart. Revive your ability to take one more step and encourage yourself with this mantra:
“If I can take it, I can make it!”
If it hasn't happened to you already, keep it up and you will most assuredly look back and marvel at the distance you have come. Every day we awake, express gratitude, we don’t start each day with 0, we already have so much; we just need to adjust our attitude more to gratitude for all we’ve been given.
Yes, Life can be very tough, but we can be tougher- that’s how we build self-efficacy, fueling authentic self-esteem, and then, through our stories and developed strength, we are more able to help lift others.
The wind strengthens the whole tree, down to its roots. Embrace your struggles and learn even from the most minor ones. Just as you may hire a personal trainer, choosing the hardship to become better, choose all that life has to offer, both the smooth path, but more so, the difficult trail; for it is the trail up the mountain that more often provides the most spectacular views.
Make it a great week!
Steve Luckenbach