Rural Water - Quarter 2, 2008 - (Page 51) “Does that work the fi rst time?” I asked, looking up at her. “No,” she said. “You have to knock a lot.” At that moment, had you asked me, “Do you understand what she means?” my answer would have been, “Sure.” I didn’t have a clue. If we can just learn that one thing, we do better. The secret is to let the knowledge seep down into our bones that we must try, and when we fail, we must try again. It’s easy to say but hard to do. When we fail, we become embarrassed and want to stop. Our fi rst inclination is to remove ourselves from the humiliation. But those who succeed don’t. A few years ago, a young man named Shaun Micheel won the prestigious PGA Championship. When asked how such an unknown could pull off the almost-impossible feat of winning a major, he replied, “I entered 254 tournaments. I tried 254 times, and I fi nally won.” I called a man once and told him my troubles. “Mr. Joe, my business is failing – my dream is in trouble. They say you can help me,” I said. “I can,” he said. Then he told me the secret of life. “Most people can’t stand to fail,” he said. “But those who can – those people do better. Here’s the way it works in business – and everything else – when you are fi rst beginning…” He then explained that for every 50 attempts, I should expect to fail 48 times! “That’s 96 failures in 100 attempts,” he said. “Get ready for it, ‘cause it’s gonna happen. Most people can’t stand that, but if you can, later, things begin to change.” He warned, “At fi rst, it may even be worse than that. You might make 200 or 300 attempts and have no success, but keep on! Things will change.” “How do you know that?” I asked him. “And what causes things to change?” “Because I’ve lived it,” he answered. “What causes it? How should I know? Maybe if we try enough, the angels begin to feel sorry for us and say, ‘Look at that poor guy down there. Let’s nudge things in his favor a bit.’ All I know is it works.” He was right. I’m still here on the farm. The dream is still alive. Looking back on my experiences, I see that those early failures were more than just failures. They were necessary steps – they were teachers! During those times, I learned how to drive across America and not get lost, to wash my truck just before arriving and to keep my pressed shirt hanging in the back to be put on five minutes before the scheduled meeting. And most important, I learned Mr. Joe was right. In the beginning of any endeavor, we fail a great portion of the time – perhaps even 90 percent of the time! But that 10 percent is far better and far more than we think. That 10 percent will keep you alive. That 10 percent gives us hope that the thing can be done. © Rjmiz | Dreamstime.com In 2005 and 2006, I roped better than ever in my life. In the spring of 2007, something happened, and I don’t know what, but I just lost it. Just as I was feeling that there was some permanence and consistency in my delivery and style of roping – just as my horses were hitting their stride – something happened. I entered what all hitters, golfers and ropers dread with a passion – a slump! I knew there was nothing to do but rope my way through it, and that’s what I have tried to do. For 12 long months I have been unable to do that. I feel so sorry for my loved one. Sharon and I go to ropings with high hopes. On the way, she tells me to be positive – to remember the successes – to clear my mind and rope aggressively. Then I miss, break out or fail to get my dally – whatever it is, it’s the wrong thing. She comes to the trailer, and the first thing she says is, “We’ll get them next time.” I feel so sorry for her. She’s said that so many times in the last 12 months. But I know what to do. I have a system that works…and it will work for you. I’ll keep trying. I will redouble my efforts. I’ll keep my heart light and know that the best in the world have bad days at the plate, that on some days even Tiger hits it crooked and even the great Ben Hogan went home in frustration once in a while. I’ve seen Speed and Clay O. miss, and I even saw Trevor Brazile hit the dirt nose fi rst – and I will remember that they got up. They came back. I’ll be like the best in world – I’ll try again. Wish me luck. Pray for me. The way I’ve been roping, I need all the help I can get. I’ll have faith. I’ll believe in the evidence of things not seen, and I will try again. I’ll do all those things because I know something to be true. Regardless of the task we are attempting, if we continue to try, good days come ’round again. Helpers come along to aid us on our journey. Whether we are doing math, selling a product, hitting a golf ball or roping a steer, if we are open, we will have a time when things go up instead of down, when the darkness turns to light. If we listen, work and try, our skill increases, relationships grow, we correct our mistakes and the thing we desired comes into the world. All I have to do is knock a lot. We can’t, but the Spirit can. “Knock loudly and long enough at the gate…and someone will come.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson Note: Just two days after this article was submitted, Michael went to yet another roping. On March 15, he roped in an invitational 10-header and won first place. Second Quarter 2008 • 51
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