Focus on a desired outcome

Dogged determination. What does that mean? In most cases it is an unwavering focus on a desired outcome. It doesn’t mean that you sometimes don’t have any doubts and feel like throwing in the towel; it means that when you do you still “press on” toward your goal. It means that you still hear the negative chatter in your head but you take a stance and reject the perceived outcomes it reveals. Bias begins within each one of us. It is something that we are taught and sometimes accept as true without even knowing why, or worse, caring why. The story of Vivien Thomas comes to mind. I saw an HBO film about him in 2004 and shared it my fiancé last Saturday. Amidst the feelings of anger and a hope for fairness and recognition, we ended up with tears in our eyes by the end of the movie.

Vivien Thomas was a person who was a skilled craftsman. He was recognized as such but was let go at his job. He took on a job at a medical research facility in Nashville, TN tending the dogs that were used in the experiments. He applied his skills as a carpenter to help the doctor with surgeries on the dogs. His hands were steady and his mind was focused. The doctor recognized his skill as a perfectionist. This is where Vivien learned how to feel his way through the body during surgery. He would often close his eyes so he could feel better. Later on, this technique would astound other surgeons.

After Vivien lost his life savings in the bank crash in 1930, he paralleled his own career along with Doctor Blalock’s career. He accompanied Dr. Blalock to Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD. He was classified as a “Lab Technician” but was only paid the same rate as the janitors. His anger brewed as he saw his research and discoveries being recognized as the work of Dr. Blalock. He channeled his anger inward and used it to become more determined to create the tools that would be needed to help in the surgeries of blue babies. At one point, Vivien left Dr. Blalock because he accepted full credit for the discoveries, acknowledging the “white” doctors without giving any credit to Vivien. Vivien then hawked antacids for a while until he realized that it was more important for him to complete the work he started with Dr. Blalock than to succumb to his desire for recognition and equal pay. He made the goal of helping others more important than his goals.

Vivien chose to “press on”, even though the prejudice against him seemed insurmountable. During the first surgery on a blue baby, Dr. Blalock stopped the surgery and sent for Vivien to help guide him through the procedure. Another doctor told Vivien to “attend to his duties” and Dr. Blalock told the other doctor that he was “attending to his duties.” The pompous, arrogant and prejudicial attitude of others didn’t stop Vivien from performing his duties. He assisted and trained Dr. Blalock and other surgeons and he never attended medical school. He had talent, genius and educated himself. All of that wasn’t enough to elevate his social status. Vivien was eventually recognized for his work after Dr. Blalock died. He was given an honorary doctorate from Johns Hopkins and his likeness now hangs in the entrance hall next to Dr. Blalock’s. His dogged determination is why. I suggest your rent the movie “Something the Lord Made.” It’s very inspirational.

Vivien faced prejudice, rejection and the negative attitudes of those less talented than him and channeled his emotions toward the ultimate goal of saving lives. He was determined to be the best he could be amidst his rise from a carpenter in the old south to a surgeon that pioneered a procedure that saved the lives of many children. That is dogged determination. It is the spirit of God within each one of us that knows the gifts and blessings that God has given us and refuses to let others tell us what we can or cannot do with our lives. Listen to that spirit. It is your guide to the life of your dreams.

For more info: Download my free Wilmington Spirituality Examiner toolbar. “Life is a gift. Be thankful for it and it will be replete with abundance. Encourage others to express creativity, release negativity and embrace pro-activity." Dean A. Banks, MCIWD, DD can be reached at webproducer@hotmail.com or banksnet.com. Download my free eBook on Articles 1-10 here.

Persistence and determination

In the last article I ended with Calvin Coolidge’s conclusion that “Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.” Why? Let’s examine why he made this statement. Inspirational quotes come from an observable recurrent theme in someone’s life. The individual not only pays attention to this recurrent theme, but synthesizes it into a simple to understand statement that seems obvious to the reader. Calvin Coolidge had an interesting life of growth, prosperity and recognition. He had a reputation in politics as a small-government conservative. A proponent of the middle class, he understood the needs of those who work their way up to the top of business and government. He believed in a laissez-faire style of government where the government doesn’t get involved in business or the free market. He was focused on individual initiative and observed his environment with tenacity and fortitude.

After his graduation from college, he opted to apprentice at a law firm and became a lawyer by a process then known as reading law. Just before the turn of the 20th century, Coolidge was admitted to the bar as a country lawyer in Massachusetts. He was exposed to many middle class people and their problems and struggles. Businesses and banks began to hire him due to his reputation as a hard working and diligent attorney. He knew his strengths and weaknesses and preferred to operate outside of the courtroom. He traversed the journey from city councilman, to legislator and was elected Mayor of Northampton, Massachusetts. From Lt. Governor to Governor to Vice President, he eventually became our 30th President. What a journey for a quiet and apparently simple man who understood the needs of the middle class! His awareness of the power of the spoken word was evident in his statement, "The words of a President have an enormous weight and ought not to be used indiscriminately." He believed that the chief business of the American people is business. The function of buying and selling, investing and prospering in the world.

His persistence and determination to be the best he could be influenced many of his followers. Coolidge signed a bill granting the Native Americans full U.S. Citizenship. After all, they were here first. It took our leaders many years to recognize that settlers took over their land and they deserved the same rights that all citizens should have. He was the first President to have his inauguration broadcast on radio, address congress on radio and deliver a political speech on radio. He was aware of his function in the world at that time and understood how to interact with it. He was also the first President to appear in a sound film in 1924 and the only President to appear on a coin in his lifetime. He knew how to reach the people because he was an observer, a person who studied people and their ways and a person who worked diligently to get to the top of government. His statement about persistence and determination came from his own personal experience.

Calvin Coolidge made many strides in his life and dedicated his life to public service. When he made the following statement, he made it with authority because he lived it. “Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan "press on" has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.” Press on with persistence and determination and you will attain your dreams and goals. Calvin Coolidge knew this. Many people since knew this. Embrace the wisdom in his statement and achieve what your spirit drives you to achieve. Remember, it is not talent, genius or education, but dogged determination that gets you to the top!

For more info: Download my free Wilmington Spirituality Examiner toolbar. “Life is a gift. Be thankful for it and it will be replete with abundance. Encourage others to express creativity, release negativity and embrace pro-activity." Dean A. Banks, MCIWD, DD can be reached at webproducer@hotmail.com or banksnet.com. Download my free eBook on Articles 1-10 here.

Faith

I’m sure some of you have seen this email circulating on the internet. My dear friend, blues guitar master Gary Cogdell of St. Georges, DE. forwarded this email to me this morning. The magic of this message prompted me to share it with you…

“This is 'Faith'. This dog was born on Christmas Eve in the year 2002. He was born with 3 legs - 2 healthy hind legs and 1 abnormal front leg which had to be amputated. He of course could not walk when he was born. Even his mother did not want him. His first owner also did not think that he could survive and he was thinking of 'putting him to sleep'. But then, his present owner, Jude Stringfellow, met him and wanted to take care of him. She became determined to teach and train this little dog to walk by himself. She named him 'Faith'. In the beginning, she put Faith on a surfboard to let him feel the movement. Later she used peanut butter on a spoon as a lure and reward for him for standing up and jumping around. Even the other dog at home encouraged him to walk. Amazingly, only after 6 months, like a miracle, Faith learned to balance on his hind legs and to jump to move forward. After further training in the snow, he could now walk like a human being. Faith loves to walk around now. No matter where he goes, he attracts people to him. He is fast becoming famous on the international scene and has appeared on various newspapers and TV shows. There is now a book entitled 'With a Little Faith' being published about him. He was even considered to appear in one of Harry Potter movies. His present owner Jude Stringfellow has given up her teaching post and plans to take him around the world to preach that “even without a perfect body, one can have a perfect soul." In life there are always undesirable things, so in order to feel better you just need to look at life from another direction. I hope this message will bring fresh new ways of thinking to everyone and that everyone will appreciate and be thankful for each beautiful day. Faith is the continual demonstration of the strength and wonder of life.”

Sometimes we give up before we get to where we are going. We cannot see that our progress is 99% complete and the physical manifestation of our goal is right around the corner. We are human beings that possess a prefrontal cortex. This gives us the ability to reason about what we have learned from our environment. We don’t just instinctually react, we think about what our next actions are and in what sequence they will occur. We can mentally manipulate time and create imagined scenarios. God has given us the power to co-create our world! Yet, Faith doesn’t have a prefrontal cortex and was not born with the understanding that objects which are not being actively perceived still remain in existence. Technically this is referred to as object permanence. Amidst this inability to have active cognition that recognizes the permanence of objects, Faith learned to walk on two legs. Unlike Faith, we humans sometimes listen too much to those who tell us we cannot do what we dream about or have what we want. Our belief in what others say and do determines the course of our lives. Faith’s owner took baby steps with Faith. She didn’t overwhelm Faith with too much learning too quickly. She started with the skateboard and peanut butter lure and used what Faith desired to motivate the dog to get up on it’s hind legs and walk upright. To make sure Faith would continue to walk she challenged the dog even further by teaching it to walk in the snow. She didn’t give up on Faith; she reinforced a positive by overcoming a negative.

If a dog can walk on two legs, why can’t we achieve our goals when we have the ability to think and reason? Make a date with yourself each day to empty the garbage and stress of the world out of your mind and clear your thoughts through meditation. Use your prefrontal cortex to visualize the end result of your goals through prayer. Feel the joy of accomplishing those goals by giving the best service you can. Calvin Coolidge once said, “Nothing in the world can take the place of Persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan 'Press On' has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.” Faith has proven this!

For more info: Download my free Wilmington Spirituality Examiner toolbar. “Life is a gift. Be thankful for it and it will be replete with abundance. Encourage others to express creativity, release negativity and embrace pro-activity." Dean A. Banks, MCIWD, DD can be reached at webproducer@hotmail.com or banksnet.com. Download my free eBook on Articles 1-10 here.