A while back “Bob” contacted me and asked for advice on writing a book. He said he began reading Relentless Grace and couldn’t put it down—always a good way to get a writer’s attention.
We exchanged a few emails and developed a good dialogue. At one point Bob said something curious.
“You have an advantage because you have such a compelling personal story.”
I kinda chuckled. I thought of all the times I complained that IT’S NOT FAIR! I wasn’t thinking I’d been handed an unfair advantage, and I’d still be more than happy to have the playing field leveled.
But I recalled a line from a favorite short video, The Butterfly Circus.
The greater the challenge, the greater the triumph.
I believe that, and I certainly believe life handed me a great challenge. But I think Bob missed an important point.
Our lives are stories, and we’re the authors. If the story’s boring, each of us can choose to edit this chapter and re-write the next.
I didn’t choose my injury, but I decided how I’d respond—positive and negative.
And each of us, every day, can decide to choose the easy road or the more challenging one. But we must understand that “easy” rarely leads to an interesting story.
Frankly, I’m more inspired when someone chooses a challenge and approaches it with passion and courage and commitment. Voluntary self-sacrifice creates compelling stories.
Please don’t sit on the couch and complain that your life’s boring. You’re the author.
Choose a more interesting story.
Please leave a comment here.
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Laughter and tears are both responses to frustration and exhaustion. I myself prefer to laugh, since there is less cleaning up to do afterward.