Shark

My son, Ethan, is at the stage of his life where he is trying to find his way.  He is trying to figure out what he can do in life to give him great purpose and value. He used to want to be a missionary, but has since decided that he wants to be a Navy Seal.  

Yea, big difference. Now I love the military, but the thought of my son giving his life for our country both makes me proud and terrifies me at the same time. 

Day in and day out, he watches YouTube videos of training and how to physically and mentally train to prepare for the most challenging training of his life. 

One afternoon after class, he was listening to a seal give a speech.  He was talking about extensive training that his men had to do to complete their seal training.  The men had to do a night swim in the ocean.  The instructors informed them about all the sharks and its danger.  However, to become a seal, you need to complete the swim.  

The instructions given to the men doing the night swim were as follows: “If you encountered sharks, do the following: If a shark circles you, do NOT swim away but stand your ground and show no fear. If the shark comes toward you, punch them in the nose with all the force you have, and the shark would swim away.” 

The soon-to-be soldiers would be facing a lot of sharks in life. They need to be ready to meet their sharks and overcome their fears to complete their assignment.

They had three choices.  Quit and walk, Fight and grind, or die in their fear.

This training was a great analogy of life and made me think.  What areas in my life are sharks swimming, and I need to stand firm and punch them in the nose?  We all have sharks to get past if we plan on accomplishing the goals we have.  The sharks won’t go away.  The question is, what will you choose to do?

Quit and walk (Wondering what it would have looked like if…)

Fight and Grind (You know it will be scary, but you are willing to face fear, and even if you fail, you will get up and do it again until you win…)

Die in fear (Allow fear to paralyze you and stay where you are…)

I refuse to quit or allow fear to keep me in an unwanted place.  So, it’s time to grind.