Daily Inspiration #31
William Arthur Ward
Adjust the Sails

William Arthur Ward (1921–March 30, 1994) is one of America's most quoted writers of inspirational maxims.

More than 100 articles, poems and meditations written by Ward have been published in such magazines as Reader's Digest, This Week, The Upper Room, Together, The Christian Advocate, The Adult Student, The Adult Teacher, The Christian Home, The Phi Delta Kappan, Science of Mind, The Methodist Layman, Sunshine, and Ideals.

His column Pertinent Proverbs has been featured in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and in numerous service club publications throughout the United States and abroad. He is one of the most frequently quoted writers in the pages of Quote, the international weekly digest for public speakers.
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The quote I've brought you today is actually one of my favorites.

Of course with how many I've collected I do have plenty of favorites.

Suffice it to say, this one stands out.

"The pessimist complains about the wind;
the optimist expects it to change;
the realist adjusts the sails."

I just love this!

All to often many of us find ourselves complaining about the situation we are in or our surroundings in general.

We look to our left and someone is there telling us it will get better soon.

We look to our right and off goes someone, somehow utilizing the same situation as a springboard, as if unaware that it was even difficult.

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It's easy to get jealous of the person to your right but smarter to learn from them.

I was taught a long time ago that when someone is doing better at something than you then they must know something you don't.

So how can we be more like the guy on the right?

How can we soar when the odds seem stacked against us?

First, as I talked about in another post, you have to want it.

If you ACTUALLY want it then when things get tough you will be looking for ways to navigate through it instead of complaining or simply waiting.

Second, also mentioned in previous posts, you have to have confidence.

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When you are confident in your own abilities you won't hesitate.

Third, and potentially most important, you need to be real about it.

What is actually happening?

Assess the situation and make a decision.

When you are looking at something from a very real standpoint you can see it for what it truly is without beliefs, ideals or assumptions getting in the way.

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Go back to sailing for a moment.

If you believe that when the wind blows a certain way it cannot carry you another way, then when it blows that way you won't even try to sail.

If you hold onto that ideal strongly enough and the wind doesn't change you could be stuck there forever!

Beliefs and ideals can be very powerful tools yet they can also get us stuck in the water.

When we are looking at life in a highly realistic manor we will often find that strict beliefs and ideals are actually holding us back.

Keeping us the same.

Not allowing us to grow.

Now, I'm not saying to let go of all of your ideals by any means.

I'm merely saying to keep your eyes open, and if an ideal or belief is leaving you stuck in the water, then perhaps it's time to explore other possibilities.

Find a new way to get some wind in your sails!

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Personally I have found many of my ideals have lifted me up, made me stronger and carried me through very intense moments in my life.

I have also found that many of them were standing in the way of relationships with other people, with my own personal growth and business growth as well.

After close scrutiny I found that those ideals were biased somehow or not fair to someone or something.

Holding them in lesser regard and sometimes even dropping them entirely opened up paths I never dreamed possible.

There are many ways that you can adjust your sails, consider this one next time you are stuck in the water.

Remember:

"The pessimist complains about the wind;
the optimist expects it to change;
the realist adjusts the sails."

Thanks for reading,
Michael David
@michaeldavid

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Previous posts in this series:
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