Shake It Off and Move On!

Shake It Off and Move On!

So why is there a donkey staring me in the face? If you don't know already then it's obvious you haven't listened to the podcast for today, so I'll have to explain in a moment.

This past Saturday my youngest son, Jordan, graduated from High School and, during the ceremony, the featured speaker shared a simple - yet powerful - story about an old donkey (aha! Now I know why there's a donkey staring me in the face!).

It seems that this old donkey was walking around the farm when he stumbled into an old, dry well on the property. The old farmer, discovering this old donkey down in this dry well thought about it for a little while and decided that since there was no way he could get the old donkey out of the well and, also, since the old donkey wasn't really good for much of anything, that he'd just fill in the well with the donkey in it.

Now, that sounds harsh, I know - but it's just part of the story, o.k.?

The old farmer then called together his neighbors and asked them to all bring a shovel so that they could fill in this old dry well and be done with it. As the crowd dumped shovel after shovel of dirt down the well the old donkey would simply shake the dirt off of his back and step up on the dirt that was now beneath him. Most did not notice this at first - the action was so small and unnoticeable - but, soon, the crowd begin to notice that the donkey was continually shaking the dirt off of his back and then stepping up and getting closer and closer to the top of the old well.

As you can imagine, eventually, the old donkey finally stepped up one last time and walked on out of the well and off into the distance! A silly and corny story, yes, but it does have a very powerful message attached!

The graduation speaker then challenged this graduating class with the idea that they must be like the old donkey and be prepared to "shake it off and step up" as they encounter struggles in their lives. I added "move on" to the equation because that is what the donkey did once he had gotten out of the well.

"Shake it off, step up and move on!"

What a powerful formula for all of us to remember and put into practice in our lives.

By now, you have likely heard me (or read my writings stating such) say that there are more than enough people that are more than happy to dump their "negative dirt" (let's get blunt here - "negative CRAP!") on us again and again and again.

If we do not have the determination to prevent this from having an impact on our lives then this negative crap will begin to weigh us down and wear us out until we finally crumble under the weight and give in to stay put and never make advancement in our lives.

WILL YOU ALLOW THAT?

Instead, let's determine that we will shake off this negative crap - don't allow it to stay "on your back" or in your mind! Shake it off! It's worthless and useless! The only worth it may have is if you use it as "fuel for your fire" and determination to move on REGARDLESS of what others may say and/or do!

Shake it off and then STEP UP, determined to not stay put. Determined to move FORWARD in your life! Keep doing so and you will soon discover that you have, indeed, moved on in your life!

Powerful, powerful story! Simple, yes. But again, do not allow the fact that is simple cause you to overlook the power found within.

So, today, I encourage you to be determined to do just like the old donkey - "Shake it off, step up and move on!"

You can do it! One step at a time and one day at a time.

And, as you go through each day, always remember to...

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

Mike