Scott Robert Alexander.com

Inch by inch… it’s still a bitch! You were expecting “it’s a cinch”, weren’t you? Surely you know me better than that! Come on! If it was a cinch, why would you take it inch by inch? Just get it done in one fell swoop, if it is so bloody easy. Don’t cheapen your achievements!

As it turns out, success in any endeavor is usually not so simple. Getting ahead takes time, energy and commitment. Doing nothing is much easier. That’s why cows far outnumber rhinos. Cows like easy.

Yes, success is a tough business. Dreams evaporate quickly unless intense desire and concentration keep them alive. Plans, goals and intentions are easily thwarted by life’s torpedoes. Excitement can spiral into depression when things don’t work out. As a charging rhino, you might find yourself in the “Blue Funk Jungle”.

Maybe you’ve hit a roadblock or lost your direction. The 6,000 pounds of charging rhino is now starting to falter. You no longer want to charge out of bed in the morning. You’re doing good if you even get out of bed.

This is when quitting sounds inviting. Motivational quotes showing up on your Facebook page irritate you. All this talk about dreams and goals leaves you feeling duped.

Take heart! You are going to make it. Be encouraged in the fact that all the rhinos who have really made a difference in the world have gone through similar situations and have made it to the other side… sometimes inch by inch.

A little attitude adjustment is helpful when you find yourself in the Blue Funk Jungle. First of all, forget charging in the usual rhino sense. Try this: Just keep plodding! Don’t worry about breaking any records or looking like a weary rhino.  Rhinos do get weary at times.

Normally, rhinos do charge full speed ahead – damn the torpedoes!  But when circumstances demand otherwise, they charge carefully.   When the brush is so thick that their legs become tangled and bloodied, they trudge.   And when the sun beats so unmercifully that their horns droop and their heavy skin starts to sag, they plod.

Plodding is the ultimate test of being a rhinoceros.  Lesser animals are found dead, scattered throughout the Blue Funk Jungle.  As a rhino, you will be victorious.  Monotonous perseverance can save the day.  Let that be your battle cry.  Keep the rhino spirit!  We are all rooting for you.    Scott Alexander

Copyright 2010 by Scott Alexander