PERSEVERANCE

We hear it all the time... "stick with it"... "keep going"... "don't give up"...  Well as we all know, sometimes it is easier said than done.  But there is so much truth to this.  Look at how many inventions came out of failure.  Consider the great leaders in our nations history who lost first elections.  How many great athletes were cut from a team once or twice or more?  What if they didn't "keep after it?"

As I have discussed before, I hurt my knee in October 2012.  I really didn't think I did anything to it.  I had hurt it before requiring two surgeries but this just didn't seem like that big of a deal.  I was hoping that it would get better in a couple of weeks, but that turned out to be wishful thinking.  Then I was shooting for March when the first baseball tournaments started rolling around.  No.  OK, well then I got an MRI, kept seeing an amazing chiropractor and started to play in a baseball season with a knee brace.  It was humbling.  It hurt to walk let alone run.  I found out how difficult it is to have your normal bat swing when you don't have your legs under you.  I kept stretching and lifting.  Pretty much decided that I was going to have to live with it, but that I was just going to keep playing.  Then an amazing thing happened.  I realized about two weeks ago (almost 8 months after the injury) that I wasn't babying my knee so much any more.  It wasn't bothering me when I took a swing.  Then I went back and looked at my batting stats for the past two weeks (4 games in both the 40+ league and with the young guys 18+) and was stunned.  Over that period I had gone 11 for 16 for a .688 batting average.  And I also realized that I have been getting to balls in the outfield just like in years past.

Now I know that playing adult baseball isn't all that important in the grand scheme of things, but there might be a lesson here.  Here is a TIP FROM A MAN... let's all consider taking this same approach to things that do matter in life.  With our families, in our churches, in our jobs, in our communities, with our health.  Don't give up when faced with a set back.  Keep a level head.  Stay motivated.  Keep working.  Visualize what you are working for.  Try and try again.  Patch it up with that son, daughter or spouse.  Be a voice of reason.  Work a few extra hours.  Be more kind and respectful.  Battle that illness.  Be more creative.  Stick with eating right and exercising.  Believe that you can make a difference... better yet, know that you can make a difference.

Enjoy life!

ROONEYISIMS

Is there anyone that remembers Andy Rooney that didn't appreciate his perspective?  I didn't always watch the entire 60 Minutes weekly broadcast, but I remember doing all that I could not to miss the end of the show when Andy Rooney took a few minutes to share his view about a particular subject. Another one of my favorite men from the past was Paul Harvey.  Don't be surprised if a tid bit or two from the files of Paul Harvey make its way into a future TIPS FROM A MAN blog post.  As you well know, the purpose of this blog is to help each of us be a bit more wise and live life a little bit more completely.  The following wisdom from Andy Rooney is priceless:

Rooneyisims:

This little piece could well serve to honor one whose last few years evidenced great wisdom, though, at the same time

he became something of an ornery old dude.

If you will take the time to read these. I promise you'll come away with an enlightened perspective.

The subjects covered affect us all on a daily basis: 

They're written by Andy Rooney , a man who has the gift of saying so much with so few words.

Enjoy....... 

I've learned.... That the best classroom in the world is at the feet of an elderly person. 

I've learned.... That when you're in love, it shows. 

I've learned.... That just one person saying to me, 'You've made my day!' makes my day.

I've learned.... That having a child fall asleep in your arms is one of the most peaceful feelings in the world.

I've learned.... That being kind is more important than being right.

I've learned.... That you should never say no to a gift from a child. 

I've learned.... That I can always pray for someone when I don't have the strength to help him in some other way. 

I've learned.... That no matter how serious your life requires you to be, everyone needs a friend to act goofy with. 

I've learned.... That sometimes all a person needs is a hand to hold and a heart to understand. 

I've learned.... That simple walks with my father around the block on summer nights when I was a child did wonders for me as an adult.

I've learned.... That life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer it gets to the end, the faster it goes.

I've learned.... That we should be glad God doesn't give us everything we ask for.

I've learned.... That money doesn't buy class.

I've learned.... That it's those small daily happenings that make life so spectacular. 

I've learned.... That under everyone's hard shell is someone who wants to be appreciated and loved.

I've learned.... That to ignore the facts does not change the facts.

I 've learned.... That when you plan to get even with someone, you are only letting that person continue to hurt you.

I've learned.... That love, not time, heals all wounds.

I've learned.... That the easiest way for me to grow as a person is to surround myself with people smarter than I am.

I've learned.... That everyone you meet deserves to be greeted with a smile..

I've learned.... That no one is perfect until you fall in love with them. 

I've learned... That life is tough, but I'm tougher. 

I've learned.... That opportunities are never lost; someone will take the ones you miss.

I've learned.... That when you harbor bitterness, happiness will dock elsewhere. 

I've learned.... That I wish I could have told my Mom that I love her one more time before she passed away. 

I've learned.... That one should keep his words both soft and tender, because tomorrow he may have to eat them. 

I've learned..... That a smile is an inexpensive way to improve your looks.

I've learned..... That when your newly born grandchild holds your little finger in his little fist, that you're hooked for life.

I've learned.... That everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but all the happiness and growth occurs while you're climbing it. 

I've learned.... That the less time I have to work with, the more things I get done.

Thank goodness for people like Andy Rooney.  Now the real IQ test... will we take to heart these priceless words of wisdom.  Yes, I think we will.

Enjoy life.