Monday, October 15, 2007

Nobility, Love, Effort, Commitment, Joy and Success




My friend Paul McIntosh at, http://www.beyondalchemy.com/index.php, posted this video to my Fun Wall as one of my 'friends' at http://www.facebook.com/. The inspiration found in it moved me to tears, and I wanted to share it with everyone I could.

I have seen this father and son combination on television before as ‘they’ competed in triathlons and it had the same effect on me. I was stunned at the physical stamina of the dad, the commitment to his son, the obvious joy on his son’s face and the profound love, on display for all the world to see, that they share.

I wiped my eyes then and although I have watched this video several times, I do so every time I watch it now.

Why is that? What chord deep within us does this story strike and cause to resonate to anyone who sees it?

I think the answer is that in these two people we see the best of the human spirit as it overcomes something much more than mere adversity. It is triumph over what could have easily been a life destined to despair. It is deep appreciation of joy, love and the spiritual value resident in every human being no matter their physical condition.

In “The Step by Step Guide to Unlocking the 7 Laws of Success”, I touch on the personal values that each of us use to determine and define just what “success” means to us. And, to me the spirit we see in this video, shared between father and son is the essence of success on the most elemental and essential level.

Right there in front of everyone are the factors that define and determine success. It seems to me they are: commitment, desire, effort, love, joy, shared vision and unselfish achievement to raise, not only yourself, but those around you up to extraordinary accomplishment by the single-minded pursuit of your chosen goals.

I have heard the dad interviewed before and wept with him as he said, in effect, he got so much more back from his son by their joint participation than he ever could give to him in return.

For those of us that seek to claim success associated with financial prosperity, or maybe spiritual enlightenment, or possibly physical fitness, fulfilling personal relationships or any other measurement in which we place value, it is important that we hear the ‘chord’ in this video story. And that chord, the one that resonates in us as we watch this video is extraordinary commitment fueled by unconditional love.

Also, I guess like pornography, we know what constitutes heroic achievement when we see it and we know deeply felt passion for the immense effort required to achieve when we see it. And, when we do behold it in such purity, we weep in appreciation of it’s value.

Fill your efforts toward success with values that are lasting and timeless because they are right and good rather than to prove something to someone that wronged you in the past, or to diminish the efforts of another in comparison to your own or to be motivated by selfishness.

It is the nobility found in this father and son team that we admire, respect and love. It is the nobility exposed to our view, which we hope to possess in ourselves and long to rise to that moves us. It is the nobility of their quest that strikes a chord deep within us all as we each reach within ourselves to find our own. May all of your successes be timeless, fill you with joy and lift up those around you.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hello Pat. Thanks for sharing the video clip with those on your list. It's actually the third time I've seen it and each time it stills me. I can identify with the father and son team quite a lot. I have spinal muscular atrophy , have always been in a wheelchair, and need untold help for all my activities throughout the day. And like that son, I had the selfless love and commitment of two wonderful parents who never denied me any of life's experiences. They certainly didn't help me achieve success in triathlons (God forbid!) but they were with me throughout other things I wanted to achieve. Thanks to their foundation of independence and quality of life I've been able to go to Uni get a Masters degree, become a psychologist and travel throughout the world (including Mongolia). They didn't actually do these things with me but they allowed me in every sense of the word to find my own wings and fly.

My dad is dying of renal failure and as I sit by his bedside I'm flooded with memories of his commitment to me throughout my life.

The commitment and sacrifices people make for each other without questioning what's involved, is what true love and freedom is about.

Thanks for listening
Jeanne May
www.aspirationsplus.com

Anonymous said...

Many prayers for healing and strength for your father, as well as for you, Jeanne. Even though I don't know you and your family, I do understand commitment to the family and all that intails.

God bless you and keep you.

pumakellar@aol.com

Pat - thanks for sharing with us! God bless you too!

Anonymous said...

Jeanne, When I read your letter I felt like such a loser, but I wasn't always. I raised 3 sons by myself and they are all wonderful men with great jobs. They are workaholics and I don't see them much even though they are close. As they left me, I got lazy and now I'm living in senior housing, a terrible housekeeper, lonely. I wish I had your strength and drive way back then. All the best, and my hat is off to you. You have my admiration.

Anonymous said...

Truly awesome video, It has given me hope, belief and clarity of what love truly is. You could see the spirit in both the Son and Dad flourishing as they raced to the finish line. I sat in my desk and cried tears of joy for about 15 minutes and it still affects me 24 hours later. Simply the most beautiful thing I have seen in my lifetime. Thank you and I appreciate it.

Andrew Grine

Anonymous said...

Hello Pat...

Wow! Was I blown away this morning when I read my e-mails! Thank you so much for responding to my comment on your blog -- and I certainly didn't anticipate your response! It was very touching to say the least.

And I thank you for your good wishes.

Wishing you every success and happiness
Jeanne
www.aspirationsplus.com

Pat Hicks said...

You're welcome Jeanne. Good luck to you and my thoughts are with you and your dad.