On Life 163 – Which Type Are You? – March 10, 2017

   During our life, our hopes and dreams become the goals we strive to attain. However, we might stumble during this journey. Thus, what distinguishes one person from another is his perseverance to achieve his goals. Some people fear trying and, thus, spend their lives waiting for the chances or suitable conditions of success. Others try and stumble. So, they decide to stop. A third group tries several times, yet stops. A fourth category tries, stumbles, and retries, is faced by challenges, but continues its journey and, even more, might lead others in their journeys to success. Here is where you should stop and ask yourself: which type am I?

   If you belong to the category that awaits chances of achieving success, then you are waiting for Godot. Days will pass without achieving your goals. This is but failure. It is said, “Failure is not stumbling on the way. Rather, it is not trying.” Whoever knows the meaning of success does not fear either stumbling or despair. He does not fear retrying, either. So, mark this: if you try, then you might stumble a lot. This looks like failure. Yet, it is followed by success. However, when you decide not to retry, you sentence yourself to stopping at the “failure” stage! Thus, it is better to tread slowly than to stop and wait.

   Those who start, then are challenged and retry several times, yet eventually stop are also defeated. Remember Thomas Addison the man who never quit trying. Thus, he offered humanity the best inventions. He said, “Many of those who failed did not realize they were close to success when they despaired and quit trying!” Many people try deceiving themselves by believing that, one day, life will cease challenging them and, thus, they will achieve their goals easily. Yet, whoever benefits by the experiences of life does know except what Socrates said, “We have to free ourselves from the hope that one day the sea will calm down. We have to learn sailing amidst storms.”

   This the true meaning of life. As you try and err, you learn and enhance your talents until you achieve consecutive successes. Even more, you become able to help others overcome the difficulties they encounter. Whenever you are quite depressed, remember that God who granted you the potential will never forget the steps you took honestly and diligently. Indeed, God helps the diligent, and … we shall continue.

General Bishop

Head of the Coptic Orthodox Cultural Center