Can you see the climber? Neither can I. The perspective of the size of the rock formations with the relative size of the climber is immense. The other day a friend and I went out to get a burrito and a coffee from my favorite Coffee Wagon in Terrebonne, Oregon. We decided to enjoy our goodies in a quiet place called Smith Rock. This is just a small section of it and many people travel from across the US and abroad to climb and hike this area. (To clarify, I enjoy my treats there and watching others.)
What is determination? The climbers must certainly have a significant dose of it. I know you cannot get half way up without it not to mention getting to the top of some of the enormous peaks. Back to the definition of determination: “firmness of purpose; resoluteness”. What do you need determination to do or get done?
I had a little experience with determination earlier today. If you read my blogs regularly, you have heard about my sweet kitty, Tobe. He is 19 now but you would not know it. I was sitting and working in the living room and I heard a noise from the kitchen. A little backstory here is that there are 2 other cats where we lived then and they were on a special diet. Tobe is more like a dog in his personality and will eat what most cats won’t. He loves their food and his of course.
I looked up from my work and he was up on the counter digging into their food. I always put it out of reach or so I thought. He is a smart one for sure. He knew where it was and found a way to get to it. It is a pretty high counter so his determination was in full force. He also has that in force when I am watching a movie on my computer in the evening. He knows just where to stand on the keyboard to silence it or reboot it completely. A good friend says he is a secret hacker. I wouldn’t put it past him.
You may ask, why the cat story? I love telling stories in general and when there is a message for me and you as well, I simply must share. What drives you? What brings out your determination in your life? It is different for everyone. For me, it is living in a mindset of peace and freedom.
Of course there is healthy determination and unhealthy determination. There is also balance that is vital to have in our lives and a moral compass to guide us. You can be determined to do something that could be destructive. My thoughts are to stop and consider before being so determined that it could be detrimental.
Everyone has blind spots and we don’t know what they are frequently. You could also say we can’t see the forest for the trees. Back to the climbers, it is recommended from what I hear to not climb alone but have someone else there with you. Same goes in life especially in times of big decisions and course changes. Have someone you can trust if that is possible to check you in times of major decisions. But in the end, weigh your options and use wisdom. I also suggest you go for it if it is your hearts desire and don’t let fear stop you.
Ok, step out ….
