The Bump in the Road

I am a woman who likes to do things right the first time.  When I begin a project, I like to maintain a spotless record of success.  If I suffer so much as the tinest bit of failure, I will usually abandon the entire project.  It's an all-or-nothing proposition.

That simply is not going to suffice in this new life I'm carving out.  Today I suffered a setback in my new world of structured productivity.  The refrigerator once again stopped working, and it was as though the wind left my sails.  So, I slept late, abandoned my to-do list, and have lazed around the house, hoping against hope that the refrigerator will once more heal itself.  This attitude will not do!

A setback is just that--a bump in the road.  It is not a failure, nor is it a suitable reason for abandoning a plan that has been working well for the past week.  There are going to be lots of setbacks on this new road I'm walking.  There will be job rejections, publisher rejections, and (horror of horrors!!) grades that are not A's.  If I am to have the life I really want, I am going to have to find a way to meet and master these setbacks.  To give myself courage, I've looked at the lives of a few people who have suffered setbacks and then went on to meet their goals.

1.  Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton.  Who suffered more setbacks then these two women?  They worked for half a century to secure the vote for women--and neither one of them lived to see the 19th Amendment.  Yet, when I go to the polls in June to vote in the presidential primary, I do so only because Susan and Elizabeth never gave up.

2.  George Washington.  Talk about your setbacks!  Remember Valley Forge?  Who would have thought that the rag-tag army that Washington encamped at Valley Forge during that hard winter of 1777-1778 would have won through to victory for themselves and freedom for the rest of us.  Because of his refusal to give up, GW became first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen.

3.  Margaret Mitchell.  My favorite author wrote my favorite book, Gone With the Wind, while recovering from injuries that would leave her nearly an invalid for the rest of her life.  Her magnum opus was then rejected multiple times before finally being accepted by a publisher.  How easy it would have been for Margaret Mitchell to give up--and how often she almost did.  If she had, the world would have lost not only an amazing book but the best movie ever made.

4.  Anthony Wayne Stewart.  Last season, my favorite NASCAR driver, Tony Stewart, had some pretty serious setbacks.  In fact, when he made it through to the Chase for the Championship, he wondered whether he even belonged there.  Yet, somehow, through a remarkable strength of will, he overcame those early setbacks and ended the season by hoisting the championship trophy over his head.  Way to go, Smoke.

These are just a few people I admire who overcame great difficulties to achieve their goals.  While I may not write like Margaret, fight for women's rights like Susan and Elizabeth, lead a nation like George Washington, or drive like Tony Stewart (well, I do, a little bit), I will need to learn from their examples.  Life is not an all or nothing proposition.  It is a path, a journey.  Along the road from where I am to where I want to be there will be other setbacks, other bumps in the road.  The idea is not to simply stop at the bump but to drive on over it.