FOR BROTHERS ONLY

It was in my neighborhood park one day, just me, my three years old daughter, and our attempts to define the laws of physics. It all started when she asked me to play on the seesaw with her. Despite my attempts to explain that I was too big and she was too small to successfully teeter-totter, she was convinced that both of us could take turns flying through the air.

So she sat down. Then, I sat down too. She went up. I went down. She stayed up. I stayed down. It was no fun. She wanted to get off the seesaw and wanted me to push her in the swing. While the seesaw served as her first lesson in gravity, for me, it served as a life lesson. Have you ever looked at a seesaw? I mean. Really looking at it? It’s one of the simplest pieces of equipment on the playground, but one of the most complex to operate. Without the proper balance of each side, the damn thing is useless. Much like a seesaw being weighed down by the big daddy on the playground, life-without the even weight distribution, or as some folks call it “and even keel” can be title out of whack.

The concept of well-balanced life, filled with ups and downs is a simple notion but one that some of us find hard to grasp. Too many of us let to many things upset our balance, instead of being happy and healthy and joyful and blessed, not too up, not too down. Woman, materials items, friends are all good when kept in their proper perspectives. But when your lady stops loving right, your job stops paying right and your friends stops acting right, does that leave you in a fail and spin? Are you the type of brother depending on so many people and things to “make” you happy that your day, your week, your month is ruined when things that you can’t control go differently than you had anticipated?

When should all strive to be independent brothers, able to rely solely on ourselves for happiness. When things don’t go right, we should be able to brush our shoulders off and keep living, never letting anyone or anything drastically disturb our life’s balance.

Once you believe, truly believe that you can care of your own need – one of those being your happiness – only then can you control your own destiny and adjust well to life’s ups and downs. But that’s not to say that you should be too independent, never asking for helps, guidance, or support. We all need assistance, companionship, and advice to make it through crisis or to take the next step in life journey.

Try to make a list of at least ten general characteristics of yourself. How would you feel about yourself if all of those were threatened at once, could you still love, respect and take good care of yourself and still be a happy person? If not, then try to re-examine what change need to take place in your beliefs about yourself to become less dependent upon others and their view of you.

Most of all, remember that when thinking of yourself and business, push your limiting steps beyond your comfort zone. By making an effort to find and keep that balance in your life, you will find that you are well equipped to handle life’s ups and downs.