Show Up Every Day to Realize Your Dreams
We show up every day at my adult son Christopher’s care facility to be with him. My wife and I take turns in this marathon race with TBI, which extends over three plus years. It is important that we show up to be with Christopher in pursuit of meaningful recovery. After all, as Woody Allen once said, “80% of success is showing up.” This post is about the importance of showing up every day and doing your best. Otherwise, you may miss out on realizing your dreams.
Showing Up: From Woody Allen to Abraham Lincoln
It was not just Woody Allen who spoke of the importance of showing up. Abraham Lincoln also spoke of patience and perseverance as essential qualities in the pursuit of success. Lincoln spoke or wrote the following words over many years of experiencing ups and downs in his pursuit of his dreams for himself, for his community, and for his country:
“Let none falter, who thinks he is right, and we may succeed.” (Speech at Springfield, December 26, 1839) “Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed, is more important than any other one thing.” (Letter to Isham Reavis, November 5, 1855) “A man watches his pear-tree day after day, impatient for the ripening of the fruit. Let him attempt to force the process and he may spoil both fruit and tree. But let him patiently wait, and the ripe pear at the length falls into his lap.” (Remarks at White House, circa February 1865)
I admire President Lincoln for his drive and determination, patience and perseverance, a great deal. In fact, since my son’s traumatic brain injury, I often pour my early morning brew into a President Lincoln coffee mug. It reminds me of the importance of adaptation and resilience to face the pressing challenges of life head on full steam ahead every single day.
Jeremiah: An Endearing and Enduring Figure
Today is no exception. I drank my cup of coffee from my Lincoln mug as I sat down to read from the book of Jeremiah for morning devotions. Jeremiah was another endearing and endurable figure. This prophet of old endured incredible challenges in representing God to the people of Judah. I love the words that God speaks to Jeremiah amid his struggle to keep going:
“If you have raced with men on foot
and they have worn you out,
how can you compete with horses?
If you stumble in safe country,
how will you manage in the thickets by the Jordan?” (Jeremiah 12:5; NIV)
A friend of mine, Dr. Ron Frost, shared this text with me years ago, when I was enduring major pushback from others in ministry. It inspired me. I could shut down or keep showing up. I chose the latter, seeing my trials with men as training ground to compete with war stallions. The same is true today.
Load Up on Enthusiasm, Not Just Coffee
No struggle, no test I have endured compares with what we have experienced in contending for Christopher. There have been so many heart-rending experiences, so many disappointments along the way. But one thing I haven’t lost besides my poor sense of humor is enthusiasm. That’s a really good thing. After all, it was Winston Churchill who said, “Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.”
I showed up yesterday at Christopher’s care facility with sufficient enthusiasm in place to support my son. I asked his nurse to administer the increased dosage of the medication intended to stimulate him. Christopher had passed the trial run dosage of five tablets of five milligrams each over five weeks, so the doctor ordered a prescription of one tablet of ten milligrams each on a daily basis.
We were set up for success yesterday. We were loaded up on coffee, enthusiasm, and Christopher’s medication! The results were immediate. As the Nurse and CNA wheeled Christopher outside in his wheelchair to visit with his sister, a fellow resident and me, the Nurse said, “Christopher is showing off today.” This nurse, whom my wife Mariko calls “the Second Mom,” was delighted to declare that as they led him out of his room, his roommate waved goodbye to Christopher. Christopher responded by giving the roommate a thumbs up followed by lifting his right leg. The roommate was ecstatic as were his caregivers. That wasn’t the end of the show and tell experience with Christopher. He then proceeded to raise his right arm, do rapid fire fist bumps of his own initiative, and deflect my playful jabs, while continuing to raise his right leg over the course of many minutes.
A Key Measurement for Success: Overcoming Obstacles
To many of us, that might not be much. But most of us have not had to endure the amount of obstacles Christopher has had to get to this point. He is a real success story if you were to ask Booker T. Washington. Washington declared, “Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome.” We will keep at it with Christopher in pursuit of meaningful recovery, no matter the obstacles, no matter the heartaches, no matter how long it takes. We remember what a neurologist said to us: it may take years, but he believes Christopher will experience a meaningful quality of life. So, too, can you and me!
I love showing up at Christopher’s bedside, sitting next to his wheelchair, and accompanying him to medical appointments, like the one tomorrow with a physical therapist at the local hospital. I also like it when my son shows off, like the Nurse said yesterday.
Patience and Perseverance in Pursuit of Peace
I was in another world yesterday when Christopher showed up and showed off. Little did I know at the time that across the country around the same time, former President and current Presidential candidate Donald Trump endured an assassination attempt at a political rally, which also injured two others and killed one attendee. Current US President Joseph Biden denounced the violence and was “grateful” that Trump is “safe and doing well.” The two political leaders and rivals spoke by phone last night. This democracy has undergone so many threats to its existence, including violence, as was the case with the assassination of President Lincoln. We must do everything in our power to pursue and cultivate peace amid all the threats, amid all the staggering challenges and conflicts, if we are to succeed as a democracy. Patience and perseverance in pursuit of peace is key.
Whether we are waking up with a cup of coffee to have morning devotions, visiting someone at a care facility, attending a political rally, going to work, or coming home for dinner, showing up is at least 80% or so of success. Enthusiasm, giving it our best, and acting wisely also play their essential percentage parts. Just think, if we had given up on Christopher, if we had not shown up, if we had not advocated long and hard for various therapies and medications and related opportunities, where would he be?
Show Up Daily to Show Off Admirable Gains Down the Road
Where will our democracy be if we throw in the towel and resort to violence? Where will you be if you throw in the towel and stop showing up for life? There will be no opportunity down the road to show off what admirable gains we as a people or you as an individual might make if we don’t show up daily. Let’s continue to show up every day to realize our dreams. Patience and perseverance are keys to success.
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