by Brandon Ramsey
After my brother’s junior year of high school I wanted to do something that might inspire him to achieve more in his final year as the varsity quarterback. I framed a picture of him directing the offence. Underneath the picture was a quote by Henry Ford that said, “Whether you believe you can do it or not, you are right.”
Take a second to read that statement and think about it. For most people it takes a couple of seconds for the real meaning to sink in. I wish I could take credit for my brother’s success and fame, but I can’t. In fact, and he would kill me for bringing this up, they did not even win a game their senior year. His success came from hard work, dedication, and a God given talent. The beatings that my friends and I put on him as a younger brother probably had a lot to do with it, but that is just my way of taking a little selfish pride out of the deal.
For those of you that read my column on a regular basis or have been in my office, you know I am into quotes or inspirational sayings. When I was in the masters program at Tech I was trained to listen to peoples’ metaphors and phrases. In counseling people tend to say I feel like I am stuck in the mud, I feel like I have nowhere to go, or I’m scared that my next wrong move will be like an atomic bomb. “To listen to someone’s speech and descriptions will help you connect to where they are,” is what I was once told. Well that got me to thinking, and those of you that know me know that does not take much. If peoples’ speech and descriptions will help you connect to where they are can it help them get to where they want to be?
Can what you read and think change your future? The answer is without a doubt, yes! The way you look at things and expect things to be will guide how you are motivated to achieve and influence how you deal with adversity. That saying had nothing to do with any of the wins on the field or his accolades, but a mental toughness and work ethic that came from believing in quotes like that did.
The quotes you read, the positive people you surround yourself with, or the scripture you love will not do the work for you. You still have to take the advice and positivity and apply it to your life. They will not save you from the circumstances you are in, but they will help you through those same circumstances. They will not do the work for your body, but they will lead your mind. And where the mind goes your body will follow.
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One of the new features we are implementing in this article is to take article ideas from the readers. This would be a great way for readers to get questions about general topics answered by a professional. We will do our best to cover every topic throughout the year. You can submit your topic ideas by email, counselorbrandon1@gmail.com, or send them in writing to Faith in the Family, 200 South Trenton Street, Ruston, LA, 71270. For more specific individual topics, please take a risk and call for an appointment.
