We All Need the Fourth Little Pig Once in a While

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“…the champions fail again and again; yet continue coming back for more. On the physical plane, we call it perseverance. On the mental plane, we call it toughness. On the spiritual plane, we call it artistry.” ~Steve Siebold

Before I could get into chiropractic school, I needed to accomplish a few things — one of which was to complete Physics I and Physics II.  “What was “physics” anyway, and why do I need it to get into chiropractic school,” was my question.  That just shows you the raw stupidity that was bubbling to the surface at that time of my academic career. 🙂  I elected to wait until the very end and take Physics I in the fall of my last year of undergraduate, and the results were not so good.  I was great at the labs, because I could visually understand the concepts of physics, but I was horrible at the actual computation part of physics, because it was like “algebra on drugs” as I called it, and I stunk at algebra.

So, “option one” didn’t work.  I then opted to take both Physics I and II the summer after I graduated from college at a university which offered both in an accelerated format.  I did well in Physics I, but not so good  in the Physics II offering.  This meant that I could not start chiropractic school that upcoming fall as I had originally planned.  I had to wait an entire year, before I could re-attempt Physics II at a local college.  On my third attempt to conquer physics, I finally got the grade I needed to get into chiropractic college.

My wife recently brought me a book from the library, titled, “The Fourth Little Pig.”  She doesn’t usually bring books home for me to read, especially children’s books, so I knew it had to be good, and it was.  It’s a story that picks up where the traditional “Three Little Pigs” story leaves off; the three little pigs are huddled inside their brick house, terrified from their encounter from the big bad wolf.  The wolf was long gone, but the pigs remained in their home, too afraid to emerge from the house, because they were fearful of what would happen if they ventured outside the house.

The three pigs get a visit from their sister — the “fourth” little pig.  She tells the pigs to come out — she tells them the wolf is gone.  The pigs ignore her plea, and they remain inside the house.  Finally, the fourth pig blows down the brick house from the inside, revealing to the three pigs the outside world, free of wolves.  The three pigs quickly realize that their fears were unfounded and enjoy their freedom.

The book served as a great reminder that sometimes we experience setbacks and failures, and the pain or fear of failure is enough to keep us metaphorically “huddled” in our safe “brick houses” so we don’t have to face our fears.  Looking back at my experience with physics, I guess I could have just caved in the face of failure, and give up on my dreams of becoming a chiropractor.  Thank goodness I didn’t give up, because, I would have missed out on some great opportunities and a great life waiting for me some years down the road.  I guess you could say that failure just wasn’t an option.

Are you huddled inside your “safe haven,” afraid to take that step out and explore what is out there?  Is the fear of failure paralyzing you?  Maybe it’s time to think about what you are afraid of, and maybe it’s time to take some small steps into the uncomfortable and give it a shot.  Our brains are built to keep us safe, but that’s a very primitive and archaic mechanism that remains from a time when we were hunted as prey.  Our fears are only a product of our minds — they are only as real as we make them.

We all need the fourth little pig once in a while.  We need to set aside the fear we have created within our minds.  Maybe it’s time to venture out beyond the comfortable and see what great things lie ahead.  As the last line of “The Fourth Little Pig” reads: “…there are worlds to explore, if you’re willing to open the door.”

Open that door, and explore the wonderful possibilities that lie ahead!  It’s a new day!  Seize it and make it yours!

Photo source: http://www.sxc.hu/profile/jannbr