The Journey: Just keep swimming

By Samantha Brazie, Special to The Paper

I’ve been thinking about this topic for a while. Something I wasn’t going to write about this month. Planned a completely different direction, and yet somehow … fate stepped in and slapped me with a big ole’ N-O.

Every year my company participates in a business planning conference. The company that puts on this conference is in Seattle and normally we make the trip over. Due to social distancing, safety and all that jazz – we got away from the office and went to Atlanta. However, Zeta had other plans for our little group. Like my other Georgians, we woke up with no power and thus, no Internet. Since our conference is virtual this year, it was impossible to join in and get the work (and I mean WORK) that we usually do, complete.

 We spent the day waiting for the power to come back on as patiently as humanly possible, all of us silently thinking about all the things we could be getting done if we were at the office … yet fully aware that we would not complete our business plan for 2021 in a timely manner if we were there. We are now a full day behind and doing our very best not to make an already frustrating situation worse.

 So friends, today we are going to talk about perseverance.

Perseverance: steadfastness in doing some thing despite difficulty or delay in achieving success.

When thinking about perseverance, Dory comes to mind. Yes, Dory … from finding Nemo. When I watched the movie with my kids, I wasn’t completely in touch with Dory right away. She seems a bit aloof – ignorant even? Until I got it. When she felt lost, confused and uncertain, Dash she just kept going. She didn’t stop.

Have you ever stopped doing something you were determined to do because you were worried it was too big of a goal? What about being afraid you would not accomplish it? Well, I have. But doubt, danger, and fear did not stop Dory from her Journey. She pushed forward no matter what.

I decided a while back I wanted to be a Dory.

The world can think this mindset is ignorant and maybe it is, but continuously looking forward and refusing to give up on what you believe in seems completely worth it to me. Every day we face unique problems, and because people are different we will encounter those who stop swimming and give up, and those that refuse. Not that they don’t struggle, they just refuse to stop swimming.

Inner strength is tough. It makes us question ourselves every day.  It comes natural to some, for some of us it does not. Some of us have to figure this out over time. Fortunately or unfortunately, the only person that can work on and find your inner strength as you.

Do you want to be a Dory?

Are you going to stop swimming or will you keep going no matter what?

“When life gets you down do you wanna know what you’ve gotta do? Just keep swimming, just keep swimming, just keep swimming, swimming, swimming …”

Until next time, friends!