Revealing Scars

For the past week I have been going to the gym everyday. That does not represent a change in my daily routine. I have workout almost everyday of my adult life. This week’s workouts were different because they were all about establishing an accurate assessment of my strength and cardiovascular condition. I needed these bench marks because today I will be having spinal fusion surgery. The levels of fitness I have set this week will be the goals I will need to achieve in post-surgery rehabilitation. I will know that I have recovered when I can complete the exercises I did this week pain free. However, while I was in the process of establishing my goals in terms of my health I also began to reflect on my future as a Personal Coach and aspiring motivational speaker. It became obvious to me that the fundamental question that is on the minds of most people I tell about my future endeavor is this: What success have I achieved in my life that qualifies me to give others advice? So at this moment and in humble homage to my hero Abraham Lincoln I will answer that question as he would have, with a story.

There once was a man who constantly agonized over his path in life. He would sit and contemplate his condition and become depressed over his lack of recognizable success. One day, while immersed in thought concerning his blurred future a genie appeared. The genie told the man that there was a place where he would find his success. That place was on the other side of a vast jungle which he would have to cross in order to live his dreams. The bad news was that the jungle he would have to cross was filled with many deadly obstacles such as swamps, rivers, insects, creatures and poisonous plants. He would have to risk his life to get to the other side. The good news was that he would be given the choice of two guides to help him through the jungle to the place where his success was waiting. The man was filled with apprehension but after some time he reluctantly agreed to try and cross the jungle.

Upon his acceptance of the conditions the man was instantly transported to a small clearing facing what to appeared to be an impenetrable jungle. For a moment he regretted his agreement to the challenge but then he heard a noise coming from behind him. He turned and saw a vehicle coming toward him down a dirt road. It pulled up next to him and stopped. It was a beautiful shinny Range Rover and from it emerged the first guide. He was impeccably attired in tailored safari gear and he had a GPS in one hand and a laminated map in the other. The first guide told the man this: “I have written several books about jungles and have studied all things related to the ecosystems that are presented in jungle environments. I have never seen nor been across this particular jungle but I am a very wealthy and accomplished man. I can guide you to a level of success similar to my own”. Before the man could speak a word there was a rustling from the jungle and the second guide entered the clearing. He walked toward the two men in an almost menacing fashion. His clothes were worn and on his legs and arms there were visible scars. He was carrying a walking stick and had a machete hanging from his belt. The second guide told the man this: “My life is not a recipe for achievement but more a testament of my endurance. The jungle that stands before you has tested my resolve and taught me many things. I have no idea what success means to you but I have crossed this jungle many times. I can guide you through to the other side of this jungle where you can define your own success”. Which guide do you think he chose? Which guide would you choose?

On the first day after my surgery my quest to reach the bench marks I set this week will begin. I know that there will be times when I cry. I am sure there will be days when the pain makes me feel sorry for myself and my mind will offer conditionally rational excuses for me to quit. Then there will be the moment that I stand naked in front of the mirror and look at the new scars created by this latest operation. I will compare them to the many other faded scars scattered across my body; each with its own story of physical pain and the collateral feelings associated with them. In this moment my experiential and physical scars will reveal and inspire a sense of calm confidence. I will know with complete certainty that I will endure and ultimately prevail over this latest challenge. How can I know this you ask? Because I have been across this jungle many times before. It is the diversity of my life experience and the ability to communicate it to others that qualifies me to guide people across their own personal jungle.