“Don’t Lose Heart”
The entire quote goes, “In life, there will be doldrums, but don’t lose heart.” It's in the pages of my book, Never Part of The Plan, and for good reason. I learned the quote a few years ago from my 98-year-old grandfather, Anthony Meyer, and it’s stuck with me ever since.
Coincidentally, I just arrived home from a trip to the UK and Nigeria, which was the first time I’d been traveling since the pandemic started. Visiting Grampa (that’s what I call him) was my first stop. The timing is serendipitous, but I’ve had this blog post in mind for the last couple of months—it’s a follow-up to January’s Beating the New Year’s Resolution Fail.
Coincidence or not, insight gleaned from my grandfather who’s been around almost a century is something I’m happy to share. He and I have a close relationship for plenty of reasons, but mostly because he’s learned to walk three times in his life—once naturally, once after surviving typhoid fever, and once after being hit by a mortar shell in World War 2. The mortar left 19+ fragments of metal in his body in addition to breaking his back. Talk about a ‘doldrum!’ I am not trying to ‘one-up him’ anytime soon, learning to walk twice was plenty!
I think our closeness is due in part to the perspective shifts we gained from our injuries. So, his words really resonate with me…
“In life, there will be doldrums, but don’t lose heart.”
What did HE mean when he said those words in the first place?
While I was staying with my uncle James in the UK, I told him about the significance of Grampa’s words to me and he responded with just two words, “Keep walking.”
Then, he followed it up with, “Did you know Johnnie Walker made an entire marketing campaign based on this exact premise?”
I did not, but according to my uncle who’s a marketing guru and consultant, the famous whiskey brand made the genius marketing play in 1999 adopting the slogan “Keep Walking.” They changed the direction of their iconic logo of the silhouetted man, mid-stride, wearing a top hat. The subtle swap from facing left to facing right symbolized a shift from moving backward to moving ahead. The metaphor appealed to humans’ need for progress along the journey of life. It was brilliant. The marketing research they performed uncovered a societal core value and need for perseverance. It connected resilience and determination with the human spirit.
In life, there will be doldrums.
It’s impossible to go through life without experiencing doldrums. A doldrum is any time when you feel stuck, listless, or ineffective. Doldrums defeat us. They make us feel unskilled, unworthy, unprepared, uncertain, uncomfortable, and unhappy—not an exhaustive list, but you get the idea. The thing is, you won’t live a full life without them. Life is full of ups and downs, and we need the downs as much as we need the ups. You can’t appreciate good times without bad times for contrast. Your biggest challenges could be in a relationship, at school, in sports, in business, or like me, with your health and healing.
Don’t lose heart.
How do you think the best achievers in the world do it? How do they weather the storms?
By staying connected with their vision (aka their ‘why’).
Everyone should know where they’re going. Get clear on that first. Start by setting clear goals. I mentioned this would be a follow-up to the new year’s resolution post, and here’s why… Aligning your goals with your greatest purpose—your why—is how all the greats succeed. If you focus on your goals with laser-like precision, it’s hard to waver.
Do Olympic medalists ever stray far from seeing themselves on the podium?
Not likely.
Of course, they have their moments of uncertainty—Olympians are still human. They may have doubts from time to time about their potential or question if the effort is all worth it, but the dream of standing on the podium is bigger than any of the doldrums. Maintaining a courageous resolve in those moments takes more than just heart. It takes discipline, dedication, and determination.
When I was in the UK, I asked Grampa what the quote meant to him and he said, “You can always persevere when what you’re doing is meaningful. You need adequate education and skill of course, but it can’t be for yourself or for selfish reasons. For me, it was my family. I did everything I could for my family.”
His family was his ‘why’. His children, his greatest purpose—his drive.
What’s driving you?
Hopefully you haven’t given up on any of your 2022 goals just yet and you’re keeping the long-term vision in sight and in mind. Stay connected with what drives you and don’t lose heart. Oh, and never stop working toward a dream because of the time it will take to achieve, the time is going to pass anyway. You might as well do something that makes it easy for you to jump out of bed in the morning, eager to give your full effort.
Hopefully this post gives you the boost you needed. Please send it to anyone you think might also benefit. After all, Grampa’s 98 years of wisdom should be shared!!
