Strangely, I always seem to cheer for the underdog.  I love to watch the little guy compete in a big arena.  Some people always support the powerhouse.  Not me, I am for the teams with the small budgets and the big hearts.  I guess I have always followed the train of thought that says it’s not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog that makes the difference.  So, if you fall in that category of being the little guy, you have a fan.

        Take this fern.  Ferns seldom grow in the rich pampered soil.  They are the plants that are clinging to the side of a mountain or in deep shadows.  They seldom have a gardener who tends their every need.  But that does not hinder them from flourishing and thriving.  They just hang on and keep growing, in spite of the difficulties of their environments.  They are not spoiled with perfect surroundings, expensive fertilizer or lots of sunshine.  But they prosper in spite of their weaknesses.  They have found an inner strength that grows out of their weakness.

        Like the ferns you can succeed even if you live in less than perfect circumstances.  Instead of saying that you are the victim of your circumstances, it would be nearer the mark to say that you are the architect of your circumstances.  We each build an existence out of our circumstances.  From the same materials one man builds a palace and another constructs a shack.  Do the materials at your feet remind you of stepping stones or stumbling blocks?  If you don't like your circumstances change the way you look at them.  There is nothing so bad that good may not come of it.

        No matter how poor your soil is you can grow and prosper.  The roots of true success lie in the will to become the best that you can become.  Take your eyes off you’re circumstances and focus on your opportunities.  Stop looking at what you can’t do and pay attention to what you can do.  Don't be afraid of growing slowly; be afraid only of standing still.  Big deal if you are the underdog.  Go through life doing your best and being your best and let someone else keep score.  Every calling is great when it is greatly pursued.  Do your best and watch your strength grow out of your weakness.  Happiness is a choice; choose to keep growing.

Something to think about:

• Great occasions do not make heroes or cowards; they simply unveil them to the eyes of men. Silently and imperceptibly, as we wake or sleep, we grow strong or weak; and at last some crisis shows what we have become.

• Difficulties are meant to rouse, not discourage. The human spirit is to grow strong by conflict.

• To be a giant and not a dwarf in your profession, you must always be growing.

• Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered, you will never grow.

• Problems are the cutting edge that distinguishes between success and failure. Problems. . . create our courage and our wisdom. It is only because of problems that we grow mentally and spiritually.

• The greatest test is the wear and tear of daily life. It is like the shining of silver; the more it is rubbed the brighter it grows.

• It is right to be contented with what we have, but never with what we are.

Thankful for the strength that comes from weakness
Rickey Moore