Gun’s Quote-of-the-Week:
“It's hard to lead a cavalry charge if you think you look
funny on a horse.”
-Adlai E. Stevenson
Charge is a funny word.
In one context, it means to command. It means to lead. It
means to attack. It’s the action that one takes with his eyes focused on his
goal or his prize and rushes onward after it, often asking his family or his
friends or his troops, co-workers, etc. to accompany him towards that goal.
The other context is exactly the opposite. It is the rest.
It is the relaxation. It’s mending one’s wounds or taking care of one’s self in
such a manner or form so as to refill their spirit, their soul or their body
after a grueling battle, long labor or demanding sport.
Life requires both charges. Life demands explosive action.
Life demands restful peace.
When you have more than one than the other, life is out of
balance.
The beginning of July resulted in conversations that I had
with both my youth minister and my boss. These conversations were not pretty.
Both involved their deep-seeded concern that I was not who I used to be. I didn’t
contribute as much as I had, wasn’t performing as well as I once did and didn’t
deliver the deliverables that were expected. The bar was raised, and instead of
reaching higher, I actually fell lower than where I once was. “Lack of focus,” “I
want the old Gary
back,” and “not pulling your weight” were all themes that were said by both
parties. It hurt.
The problem with charge is that it is sometimes difficult to
understand which one you need when. Like a fuel gauge on a car, if you don’t
pay attention to it, or if it is broken, you can run out of gas. This has a
tendency to happen more when you are in a hurry. If you need to get from point
A to point B and then point C, but you’re late and trying to hit all three as
fast as you can, you can be tempted to ignore that gas gauge or simply overlook
it altogether. Then you find yourself stuck on the side of the road, looking up
the number to Scotty’s tow service, and apologizing to the people to whom you
gave a commitment that you will now no longer be able to keep. Do that often
enough and eventually people will expect that you aren’t up to the task and
treat you as such.
The opposite is also true. It may sound fun to simply lie
around and do nothing but treat yourself all day long to the pampering
associated with good food, good drink, entertainment and self gratification,
but in the end you’ll find life has no purpose. The world doesn’t revolve
around you and if you take care of yourself too much you find the exact
opposite of what you were hoping to obtain. There is no happiness in
self-indulgence. No purpose. No peace. No glory. No joy.
As odd as it is, the analogy of a cell phone is fitting. You’re
quite useless if you stay plugged in to your charger all day long. You’re
equally as useless if you lose your charge and won’t turn on. You can’t stay
plugged in your whole life. You can’t be dead, either.
Perhaps you should assess where you are at in life right
now. Do you have goals and causes that need you? Are you dedicating enough time
to them? Do you have rest, peace and recreation in your life? Are you ensuring
that you rest enough to meet your goals and causes? I ask you to evaluate where
your gas gauge is because in failing to read mine I have failed people in my
life that I delivered a promise but didn’t deliver a result.
It is more difficult to back-track and make amends than it
is to get it right the first time.
Trust me.
…and that’s why it’s a Gun’s Quote!
