I was reflecting the other on the subject that I love so much: Encouragement. I thought about my own life and when I was encouraged and what it meant to me. As we recall specific situations, things, or words that might encourage, I want to talk about also this morning, the subject of Anchoring. That means when something inspires us, that we develop ways to reach back in time for that inspiration when we might be down or having hard times. When I was young, the 8th or 9th grade, I was very thin. Around 6’ 1” and 115 lbs, I had very poor eyesight in addition to be thin. I was also not very fast, but I loved basketball and fortunately, I had a coach that encouraged me. “Don’t give up Glynn. Keep Practicing. Work on your shots. Get stronger.” I did and went on even though remaining somewhat thin, became all district for 3 years in high school and played in college. I attribute that a lot to coaches along the way. In fact, now we hear the term life coach, meaning someone who has been trained or is holding themselves out to be a life coach with the goal of inspiring and encouraging others. I love that term Coach. That is what I try to do in some ways, in my Encouragement movement is coach others, encourage them to get through the tough times.
Another time I have been encouraged was by my mentor and the practice of law. His name was Kelly. I got out of the Marine Core and he encouraged me go to back and finish law school. Kelly had a saying on his wall that was embroidered and framed. It was words of inspiration from Teddy Roosevelt, “Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs even though checkered by failure than it is to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much or suffer much because they live in the great twilight that knows neither victory or defeat.” That is one of the quotes that I anchor when I go through difficult times. I remember those words on the wall, that it is better to risk and take risk even though some might criticize you. You might feel like you can’t get up, but you can. You can go back in the arena rather than being in the twilight. What does that twilight mean? What does it look like? That is what we want to get out of because that twilight keeps us from being our best selves. Other words that have encouraged me, “Glynn be your best. Don’t worry about being the best.” When you are your best, you, and each of you can accomplish great things.
In another poem I like to anchor from time to time, which has meant a lot to me over the years and encouraged me. You can see that we can get encouragement from words not only from living people that have encouraged us from time to time but great speeches and beautiful poems. One that I really like and it is fairly well known, is the Road Not Taken by Robert Frost. It goes like this.
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
That poem encourages me to realize that sometimes a position I take or that my path may not be the path of others. It may not be path of others. It may not be the path that the majority takes. You may have a path, your personal calling. Don’t be afraid to take the path in your life less traveled because my friends that will make all the difference.
