Wisdom from the General

You are as young as your faith, as old as your doubts; as young as your self-confidence, as old as your fear; as young as your hope, as old as your despair."
- General Douglas McArthur

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Picture General Douglas McArthur commanding the Allied Forces in the South Pacific. His troops hanging on his every word. Picture McArthur telling his troops that in order for a solider to survive the turbulence of war, the soldier must have faith, self-confidence and hope.

A solider must have faith in his/her comrades, his/her commanding officers and his/her country. Faith is believing in the unknown. For a soldier it about believing your comrades have your back, its about believing your commanding officers have implemented the best strategy, it about believing in the ideals of your country and your country believing in you.

A soldier must have self-confidence. Self-confidence develops from mastering a task. The more training a soldier undergoes, the better he/she becomes at a task. The better a soldier becomes at a task, the more self-confidence the soldier acquires.

A soldier must have hope; hope for a better tomorrow. Hope that things can and will change. Hope that his/her effort will make a difference. Hope is the true catalyst of change.

If a soldier is to survive war, faith, self-confidence, and hope must become a way of life. When things seem turbulent in your life, don't allow doubt, fear and despair to paralyze you. Soldiers fail to serve their country, their commanding officer, their comrades and themselves when they allow negative thinking to control their lives. And, so it is with you, if you allow negative thinking to dominate your life, you might as well wave the surrender flag. You'll be surrendering opportunities for growth, development, and happiness.

Take heed of the wisdom of General Douglas McArthur. It was his faith, self-confidence and hope that inspired him to say "I shall return," and return he did!

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It's Your Life: Live it, Love it, Celebrate it!
MJD