“We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
This past weekend I came across an update about a day called, “Quitters Day.” Apparently it is the second Friday of January, and it observed as the day when most holiday and New Year’s resolutions end. This year that happened to be on January 12. It’s amazing to think that when people set out to change something or work towards something in their lives, 12 days is all it takes for it to fall by the way side. Why is that?
There are millions of articles, books, and podcasts dedicated to this topic. How can we as people align our behaviors and actions with the goals we have. We know change is hard, and we know perfection is unobtainable. So what can we do about it? The quote for this week from Martin Luther King Jr captures this exact experience many of us have. We resolve to add more movement to our day, hit the gym more consistently, meditate, eat well, improve our relationships, and yet we fall short, get frustrated and throw in the towel.
Rather than throwing away all of our progress, we can accept that life happens. Many times outside of our control. When we face disappointment, it is not a knock on our character or who we are as people, it is simply something that didn’t go our way. We have to accept this finite disappointment. Acceptance does not mean we roll over and do nothing about it. It means we come to terms with what happened, learn from it, and then shift our focus on the infinite hope of what we can be and what we can achieve.
Success and the path to who we want to be is not linear. If it was, then everyone would be standing on top of the hill. It’s a constant tossing, turning, moving forward and backward, along with highs and lows. Accepting the finite disappointments, and then shifting our focus on the infinite hope is what optimism is all about. It’s a core value of Greater Culture that we believe we can have influence of moving things in a positive direction in our lives.
MLK believed this, and many of his words reflected this. He optimistically focused on what could be even in the midst of incredible struggle and challenge. Let’s all approach this week and keep our focus on the infinite hope of what we can accomplish and the community that we have that can help us get there!
