“I Y’AM WHAT I Y’AM…AND I’M STRONG TO THE FINISH…” E.C. Segar’s Cartoon Character Icon, POPEYE THE SAILOR MAN
“ I’m Popeye the sailor man; I live in a garbage can; I’m strong to the finish, ’cause I eat my spinach…I’m Popeye the sailor man.”
Why can’t people be happy with themselves? With who/whom they are?
It would make life as we know it so much easier. And healthier — physically, mentally, spiritually and in untold other ways.
It’s not that tough to do and certainly not that complicated. It requires equal parts honesty, willingness and acceptance.
Simple.
Add a dollop of self-respect and a quart or two of the raw, unseasoned desire to work with purpose toward being what you want to be, and the recipe is complete.
Fact:
There is always somebody around the block a little better than you.
A little smarter, a little more attractive, athletic, tougher, kinder, stylish, cultured, lighter on his/her feet, with greater means…ad nauseum. Ad infinitum.
That’s the way of the world.
There are 7.5 billion humans on this planet; 330 million give or take in these United States. Reality is what it is.
You’re only as good as your record says you are.
So?
So be happy with what you bring to the table and always do your best. Try as hard as you can. Improve your record.
The problem is sometimes that doesn’t work; it’s not enough.
In spite of the fact that maximum effort is expended with all of the blood, sweat and tears your heart and soul can manufacture, the unattainable remains just that.
Then what?
That’s okay.
It’s alright.
It does not mean failure.
A bump in the road is all it is.
Because last I checked nobody wins all the time. Nobody.
Okay, God maybe.
There’d be no such thing as winning if losing wasn’t involved. It’s just not how it is and the moment we accept this as an absolute truth we begin to move forward productively.
We only recognize success when we fail…If it doesn’t kill you, it will cure you…If you do not grow, you do not live…
Or as Mahatma Gandhi so sagely observed, “Satisfaction lies in the effort, not in the attainment. Full effort is full victory.”
Humility figures into the equation as well; author Orna Ross has noted that “you can have anything you want so long as you realise that you can’t have everything you want.”
And the late, great John Wooden once posited that, “failure isn’t fatal, but failure to change might be.”
Be yourself and be happy about it. Be proud to be you. Always try to do better — to be better.
“Everything you want is on the other side of fear.” — Jack Canfield.
Let’s get back to this honesty thing.
We are all flawed human beings. Imperfections make us human. It’s part of the blueprint. The trick is to recognize your weaknesses and try to learn from them, knowing full well that they may never be completely overcome.
This is where honesty comes in but with it a delicate balance is created.
The very real potential that our shortcomings can never be wiped clean from the slate should in no way suggest that our effort to do so wane by default. There is no such thing as a “fait accompli” where bettering ourselves is concerned. Because we cannot achieve perfection no matter how hard we may try, does not mean that we segue to — and concede that — a reduced effort to improve ourselves is the final, most natural and inevitable option.
So do we do that?
Give up?
OR NOT?
No.
Be honest. Know that you can’t win this game but you also can’t stop playing. The game is on and you’re in it. A classic catch-22.
It’s the kind of dilemma on whose horns you’d like to ride.
You must stay in the game to succeed; “giving up is the only sure way to fail.” — Gena Showalter.
Life is like a ledger sheet: assets and liabilities; credits and debits; checks and balances; positives and negatives; pros and cons.
Addressing weaknesses can lead to bolstering strengths. Conversely, nurturing strengths can end up relegating weaknesses to a more subservient position.
A concerted effort to be the best person you can be — day in and day out — has a way of ultimately overshadowing character flaws. Certainly it does not eliminate them, but it eases them by shunting them from the spotlight and, over time, reduces their stature and presence.
Simply stated, focusing on the good is good. And fear of failure is not. Of this there can be no question, no doubt.
But a clear — and honest — understanding of the larger scheme is the real key which unlocks the door to inner peace.
Know whom you are, what you are and whom and what you’d like to be. Try the very best you can in everything you do. Be honest. Be humble. Be proud, not boastful. Toss in a little kindness and compassion. And don’t be afraid — least of all — to be you.
’Cause you’re the only you you got.
[Editor’s Note: This piece was written by Mr. Kaplan in March 2017.]
