“Blessed am I for my struggles”. I heard this many times while growing up in the rural South in the 1970s. Though I was too young to understand the meaning then, looking back I can now understand that the adults who uttered this phrase were quietly dealing with challenges. This phrase was the only open acknowledgement of their trials. The belief is that the hardships that plague us are actually preparing us for greater challenges to come. It is not that they were just built tougher back then, it is they conditioned themselves to be so. Perseverance is an admirable trait that powers the determined soul.
This spirit of determination is what helps us achieve that which we thought impossible. Giving our all is how we can take an empty arena and turn it into a spectacular show by the evening. In regards to some shows, they do take our all. Another phrase from the 1970s that comes to mind is “Keep on keeping on”. Persevere when things get tough because shying away from our challenges can demoralize our spirit and we must not give in. The most reward “just enough” could ever give is limited to only “just enough”. One of the greatest tragedies is that so many people don’t know how close they were to succeeding before they gave up. So, we persevere. We come against challenges, and we take them on.
“Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful individuals with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.”
Ray Kroc
Not everyone is cut out for the stagehand life. It’s not enough to be in this business; this business has to be in you. We earn who we are each day we go out there and give it our best. Every choice, every action, every experience no matter how small is another step on our journey. To do what we do, it takes dedication, self-motivation, and determination. This drive acts as an internal alarm clock to wake us for that early morning call. When we want to hit “Snooze” on the actual alarm clock, this one rallies us to feet ready to take on the day.
Pushing oneself to do that which may be inconvenient conditions us to handle struggles which will be hard. “Blessed are we for our struggles” is as true a phrase today as it was in the 1970s. Focusing on what is out of our control only leads to frustration. How we face these obstacles is entirely under our control. We motivate ourselves and move forward. It is rarely the easiest path and it is not without struggle, but the ability to overcome is within us all; it just has to awaken. So, when we hear that internal alarm clock, we know it is time to get up, dress like we are there to get something done and keep on keeping on Rhinos.
Boone Jackson is the Director of Operations for Rhino Staging Nevada.