A Critical Doer controls what is theirs to control
Happy Thanksgiving everyone, and thanks for taking a moment today and every day that you read the Critical Doer blog. On a day set aside to give thanks for all our blessings, activities of the day can sometimes leave us feeling something less than thankful as we stress over food and potential Friday shopping…we just want to get things right for the people we love. In all the buzz, it’s easy to lose sight of a powerful blessing we all have and it’s easy to go unnoticed…and it’s the key to doing more and accomplishing at the level of fulfillment. Check out this story…
Francis O’Dea grew up in Toronto, was severely abused at age 13, became an addict in the course of dealing with the pain, and was essentially homeless. After hitting rock bottom, O’Dea made a decision that represents a Critical Doer trait of controlling what is yours to control…he decided not to quit.
O’Dea got a job where he began thinking and doing. He came up with an idea for a coffee house business. He took a risk and opened a coffee house, and another, and another, and another. If you’re not familiar with Francis O’Dea, you may be familiar with “Second Cup” coffee houses, one of the largest chains in Canada.
Many would call O’Dea and overnight success and gloss over the years of struggle that preceded it. The success stories that inspire us are rarely stories of everything going right for a person with every advantage. Most times the inspirational stories are full of struggle and failure. Some of the superficial circumstances are different, but at the core there’s a commonality…a decision not to quit, and that’s a decision that each of us controls for ourselves.
Your challenge is to make this year’s holiday about giving thanks as much as Thanksgiving. We have more than we think…we can do more than we think…because the most powerful decision that separates making a living from making a life is totally within our control…the decision to persevere when the circumstances of life come to call. Fully grasping the idea that we own our destiny through perseverance rather than our fate being determined by outside forces is worthy of thanks and celebration.
From my family to yours, Happy Thanksgiving and celebrate all your blessings great and small. It’s what a Critical Doer would…do!
Reminder: you can get automatic updates from The Critical Doer by using the subscription widget at the top of this post. You can also follow on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+. I also encourage you to let me know what you think of the posts or share a story of your own using the comments section or email me directly at [email protected].