Success comes in cans

The common slogan used by the Obama presidential campaign was “Yes we can.” This has become a household slogan in the country and beyond. If you do not say yes I am, no one will say yes thou art. One of the problems that plagues our young ones these days is lack of believe in themselves. Most people do not believe that they could try things out just because they consider those things to be tough and difficult. They may think they do not have what it takes to help them accomplish it. Just imagine that our president had thought that he could not be the president of this country just because he is black, do you think he would have run for the highest office in the land? I doubt it!

The simple lesson of life is that if the fish does not open its mouth it would not swallow bait and so would not be caught. But then the fish will die of starvation. Life is a risk. If a politician does not contest for a political office, s(he) may not win but in order to win, s(he) will have to run the race. Success begins with faith in ourselves even when we do not know how to accomplish our set goals. But those goals will have to be set regardless. After setting the goals, we have to begin the process of achieving them. From our belief comes the motivation to actualize it. Pope John Paul ll put it well when he observed: “What we do must always be in tune with what we believe.” Success comes in cans. Put yourself out there and begin to do new things even if you are embarrassed in the process. Most successful people started that way.

I remember going out with some kids once for skating. I was very scared of even trying the skating shoes. One of the kids, about seven years of age, came to me and urged me to give it a try. I told her that I was afraid of falling and that I was not as young as she was. She laughed at me and then said, look around you, have you not seen that everyone falls while learning how to skate? If you do not fall, how would you learn? That was a lesson of life taught by a seven year old. So go out there and learn to do something new. Do not be afraid of people laughing at you, in fact I would advice that you start laughing at yourself first. Fall down if you may. Remember your strength is not in falling but in standing up each time you fall. Learn new languages and learn new tricks. Believe in yourself and trust you instinct. Repeat the slogan many times, ‘Yes I can.” If you do not say it of yourself no one will say it of you. Enjoy life for that is why God created you and be kind to everyone. Give a helping hand to those who are struggling with you. Do not be happy to get to the top alone; look for someone and make sure that you help that person get on top with you, for the top can be a very lonely place. Take care of you and know that I believe in you.