What’s a quote that perfectly describes your outlook on life?
Never be anxious about the next day, for the next day will have its own anxieties. Each day has enough of its own troubles.
It’s not always easy to live by this principle, but it gets me through most days.
What is your favorite quote?
Letting go of the pain is not about forgetting the past; it’s about remembering the future.
Successful people sometimes fail despite how hard they tried.
Unsuccessful people fail because they didn’t try at all.
What’s a promise you made to yourself that you’ve actually kept?
I’ve always had a reputation as someone who doesn’t give up when things get tough. That hasn’t always been the case. But I’ve always said, “Don’t tell me it can’t be done because that will only challenge me to find a way to do it.” And in trying to stick to that, I’ve achieved remarkable results, even if they weren’t earth shattering.
But that habit kept me going when my wife passed away, leaving me to raise two foster children, both under ten years of age. Many people thought I would give up. But sitting down to dinner with them, today, nearly nine years later, I haven’t given up. And I don’t intend to. I’ll stick to the task, hopefully until it’s finished. And if I don’t get there, it won’t be for lack of trying.
What’s a chapter of your life you’d title “The Hard Years” — and what got you through it?
It’s easy to think about hard times. And it’s easy to give in to them.
But the reality is that it’s not the hard times that we have to worry about. It’s what we do about them.
Because it’s a true today as it’s always been. It doesn’t matter how many times you fall. What counts is how often you get up again. And only you can do that.
