Strength Personified!

This week I was reminded how important perspective is.

Good things come from pressure thrust upon us.  Some of the most amazing people I know are those that have fought, been resilient, not always won but have continued to fight.

There is no shortcut. Victory lies in overcoming obstacles every day. Some peoples are bigger than others but it’s all relative to you and your life to that point is never going to be the exact same as anyone else. So of course we will all operate differently when faced with adversity.

I don’t believe in necessarily dwelling on the past but sometimes you need to be reminded how far you’ve come in order to forge forward and take steps further into the future.  This week I was reminded of a man who helped shape me and one who was there with me to fight.

It reinforced some home truths you need to be around those who feed your soul, not the ones that feed off it. Having a heap of vacuum cleaner type people around you sucking all life from you isn’t helpful in anyway.

Life isn’t always easy and to be honest no growth comes from sitting in comfort.

All this is part of the process.

• Diamonds form under PRESSURE
• Grapes must first be CRUSHED to make precious wine
• Olives are PUSHED to their limits to release oil
• Seeds grow in the DARKNESS not when the sun is shining
• A pearl is created from FRICTION when an irritant works it’s way into an Oyster.

If you are ever feeling Crushed, Friction, Under Pressure, Pressed or in Darkness

You’re in a supremely powerful position to transform yourself. 

Ultimately, it’s your choice. You have the power. 

Here is homage to a man who left a lasting impression on me one that faced all of the above and rarely looked back. 

To the man with skinnier legs than mine… Quite a few years back I was in hospital and got a quite unexpected visit from you. Just ‘popping in’ on the way home from the sale yards on a Tuesday.  So opened the door to a friendship I will forever miss.  When we were told we were stuffed we told them to get stuffed. Curve balls bowled at you, side stepped and sent ‘back to the pavilion’. Your short leg made missing those fast bowls a little trickier so you would cop it on the chin then send them back again.  Never once complaining about the hand you’d been dealt.  Life was meant to be lived and if there is one thing that we agreed on is not to dwell on the shit bits this gets us no closer to the good bits.  Be thankful and make the most of what you have.  Look after those around you do so with a smile and laugh. It’s so important to laugh. Laugh in the face of adversity. Laughter is the best medicine and if those doctors could have bottled yours we would all be fine. Stick it to the man and if someone tells you it’s impossible prove them wrong.
How very fortunate we are to have been blessed with the joy that IS Lawrence Packer
This man led from the front yet pushed us from behind.  He squeezed every drop out of those lemons chucked at him and made the sweetest lemonade. The legacy he leaves behind .. His beautiful wife, children and grandchildren. The lives he blessed with his presence is the sweetest elixir of all.
Rest easy old man. You’ve done your job well x 

Lean in and Level Up take it on the chin and swing back.

Mel