It is not the peaceful water, the picturesque blue sheet of glass that makes the sailor. But the towering waves… those that rock the boat… the winds that torture the sails and make the man grip onto the ropes and steer with all his might. It is the arch in the back and the sweat on the brow that makes the man…not the one standing idly by. It is the man who believes that one day he will be so great that it will be impossible for those around him to ignore him. It is the man who never lets his dream die, no matter the obstacles, hardships, or deemed impossibility of the task.

That man wakes up in the morning and finds a way to challenge himself every single day. To never be satisfied with yesterday or “good enough.” He strives valiantly to be great…and much of the time, fails miserably…often hitting the ground so hard he bounces twice. But that man…after the dust settles, picks himself up and wipes his eyes…and charges back towards his dream. Because he believes that life is works like an arrow, the farther you get pulled back…eventually, you will get launched past your expectations. But you have to go through all the beatings and pain to get there. There is no success without strife. And while many give up around him during these times of turmoil, he continues to work. He works because he knows there is no “perfect” time to achieve his goals, to go after what he wants. He must go on.

He works because he realizes that his happiness does not lie within material possessions…but in the actualization of self. In the harmony between what he thinks, what he says, and what he does. This is what makes him free even during the challenge. This is how he knows he will make it…because he has the faith and the humility to adjust the sails when he needs to change course. He is the man in the arena. He stands in front of all others waiting to be judged…without it making the slightest impact on his heart. He stands naked of walls or boundaries that he can use to shade himself from the light of that judgment…but he stands tall. This man suffers the pain of loss, of misunderstanding, of abandonment and the crucifying attempts of those to try to bring him down. And in the face of personal doubt…he closes his eyes and ears…and listens to the beating within his chest…and that is all the guidance he will ever need.

On the dangerous waters… the sailor steers his destiny.

Evan Sanders
The Better Man Project