Get up
When you fall, get up., the saying goes. Getting up only one time more than falling down, makes you a winner.
Long story short
When I left my village in 1988, I had 50 Deutsch Mark in my pocket. In today’s money it was around 25 EUR. My friend and I have worked the whole month to earn it. We worked in the forest, cut wood and then the truck would pick it up. We had a plan to go to Germany, West Germany back then. With 40 kilogram backpack each we walked 2,5 kilometers to the next bus stop. The bus took us to the next bigger town. After two hours we have changed to a train to Warsaw. Then to East Berlin. At the Friedrichstrasse we passed the border to West Berlin. We hitchhiked to Wiesbaden. We found jobs in a storage house. We also slept there for about a month. It was August and it was hot. For the first time in our lives we ate kiwi. For the first time in our lives we drunk Fanta. We were determined to stay in the new world.
Eventually, my friend became an opera singer in Germany and I became a CEO of an insurance company.
Don’t outsource your life
Before it all happened, people in our village would say: Why don’t you stay here? Why not become a teacher in the village school? We didn’t.
Why Germany? You should go to USA!, they said. We didn’t.
While we have decided to study, they would say: Why don’t you go into trading goods? You can make tons of money. Studying is a waste of time. We didn’t.
They went on and on. All kind of people would have all kind of advices to us. Yet, we wanted to find out by ourselves what life is. We have failed so many times. And we have got up on our feet again. By hard work, by not giving up, by luck, by some help of new friends and other good souls.
Today, whenever we meet, we look back with respect. We are grateful for having our roots in the village. And we are grateful for growing into the world.
You are a winner
Life is a movie. Some episodes have a sad ending. Some are scary. Yet, there is a next episode tomorrow. You are the director, you are the camera guy, you act. You decide how it continues. Happy end, open end… It is mainly up to you… as you are a winner: https://youtu.be/gCK3qRtKSt8
When something bad happens, we are disappointed and sad. We sometimes even want to give up.
Yet, in every bad there is good. Every bad is made of the same material that good is. Good or bad is relative. Being one or the other depends on timing, expectations, perspective, the side you are on, etc.
Maybe everything is neutral and we make it bad or good by our perception? Turning bad into good is possible. Yes, it requires some work, some persistence, convenience and patience. With a little help of your friends, you then turn it around and enjoy it. Because…
IN EVERY BAD THERE IS GOOD.
Comments