Self Motivation – Do What You Can, With What You Have, Where You Are

SELF MOTIVATION PHILOSOPHY

This morning I read a quote from Theodore Roosevelt: 

Do What You Can, With What You Have, Where You Are 

This reminded me of a self-help article I had written 20 years ago in the 1990s – which formed the basis of many of my motivational lectures – and – which I had posted online a number of times since the year 2006 in my blogs in various forms. 

Here is an abridged and updated version of the article...

“LIKE IT or LUMP IT”

Musings

By

VIKRAM KARVE

I learnt more about the art of living by reading good literature – rather than from hearing sermons and moral lectures – or from high-falutin philosophy or spiritualism.

One thing good about the Navy is that it inculcated and fostered the reading habit in me.

I read a lot of sea stories and novels like The Cruel Sea, The Caine Mutiny, Run Silent Run Deep, HMS Ulysses, Tales of the South Pacific  and so many more sea stories and war novels like All Quiet on the Western Front  Catch-22 etc

One sea novel I like very much is THE CAPTAIN by Jan De Hartog

In this story – the protagonist is a Merchant Navy Officer.

The Naval Officer is frustrated because – owing to reasons beyond his control – he gets stuck sailing in small Tugs – whereas – he wants to sail in larger ships of the Main Fleet.

Seeing his frustration – his Tug Captain gives him a maxim:

“ Ou Dieu vous a seme – il faut savoir fleurir ” 

which roughly translated means

“ You must know how to flower where God has sown you ” 

or

“ wherever God plants you – there you must learn how to bloom ”

The young Merchant Navy Officer takes this to heart – he works very hard on the Tug – and then – he works with dedication, sincerity and devotion to duty throughout his career on Tugs.

In due course – he becomes the most famous sea-going Tug Captain – and ultimately the owner of flourishing company with a huge fleet of ocean going tugs.

Inspired by this book – I too tried my best to imbibe this philosophy in my life – especially in my Naval Career – and – I tried my best to “flower” wherever the Navy posted me.

It is good philosophy to apply in your life:

“wherever God plants you – there you must learn how to flower and bloom”

“LIKE IT” OR “LUMP IT”

If you do not get what you like – then – you must learn to like what you get – and – you must make the most of it 

Like they say in the Navy:

If you don’t like it – just lump it.

“Like it” or “Lump it” 

There is another saying I read a few years ago:

If life gives you a lemon – make lemonade.

Yes – when life gives you a “lemon” – use that “lemon” and make “lemonade” – instead of cribbing and carping – wallowing in self pity – becoming bitter and spreading bitterness – and making your own life hell and everyone else’s life miserable.

Like they say in NLP :

There is no such thing as “failure” 

There is only “learning experience”

So – metaphorically – the “lemon” is the failure – and – the “lemonade” is the learning experience.

And this “learning experience” will enable you to “flower” and “bloom” wherever you are “sown” or “planted”

Well – I have tried to follow this mantra: “ Ou Dieu vous a seme – il faut savoir fleurir ”  

When I was in the Navy – wherever the Navy transferred me – to whatever job they assigned me – whether they promoted me or not – I tried not to get disillusioned or demoralized – and in my own inimitable style – I tried to do my best to “flower” and “bloom” wherever I was “sown” or “planted”. 

Yes – I made “lemonade” with all the “lemons” the Navy gave me.

I am trying to do this after my retirement too – trying to “flower” and “bloom” in the back-of-beyond lonely place called Wakad, near Pune – where God has planted me after my retirement. 

That is one of the reasons you are reading this Blog.

Yes – the result of all this “flowering” and “blooming” is this prolific Blog and the couple of books I have written. 

Well – I am going to “flower” and “bloom” away and “bash on regardless” with my Blogging and Writing – since this is the best thing I can do where God has planted me. 

God has given me the “lemon” of loneliness. 

And – from this “lemon” of loneliness – I have made the “lemonade” of my blogs and my books and all my writing.

Have a good day - whatever “lemons” you get today – just keep making “lemonade” and enjoy every drop of it.

Sometimes you may feel a sense of “failure” – you may feel that you have “failed” in life.

There is no such thing as “failure” – it is all in the mind.

And still if you feel a sense of “failure” – think of “failure” as a “lemon” – and make “lemonade”.

Talking of the “lemon” of “failure” – let me tell you one thing I have learnt from my own life experiences.

Remember the maxim:

“ Ou Dieu vous a seme – il faut savoir fleurir ”  

(wherever God plants you – there you must learn how to flower and bloom)

Apply this to your life.

Do What You Can, With What You Have, Where You Are – and – you will “flower and bloom” wherever you are. 

VIKRAM KARVE

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Disclaimer:

1. These are my personal views. Please do your own due diligence while selecting a philosophy of life.

2. All stories in this blog are a work of fiction. Events, Places, Settings and Incidents narrated in the stories are a figment of my imagination. The characters do not exist and are purely imaginary. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

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This article is an abridged version of my article posted by me online many times in my various blogs including at urls: http://creative.sulekha.com/ou-dieu-vous-a-seme-il-faut-savoir-fleurir_469567_blog  and  http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2010/10/ou-dieu-vous-seme-il-faut-savoir.html  and http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2012/11/thought-for-day-flower-and-bloom-ou.html  and http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2013/10/learning-art-of-living-from-literature.html and http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2015/11/navy-philosophy-like-it-or-lump-it.html and http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2014/09/teachers-day-musings-part-3.html etc