The bull stops here

Success does not come to those who sit around and wait for life to come to them. It seeks out those who meet the charge, grab the bull by the horns, and wrestle it to the ground. You may be frightened when you see that bull coming your way, but there’s not much you can do to avoid it. A charging bull can be faster than you expect. If you hesitate, you get the horns. If you turn and run, the bull builds more momentum and you get the horns harder. If you call for help, by the time help arrives you will have already gotten the horns. If you sit tight, close your eyes, and pretend it isn’t there, you will still get the horns regardless and you won’t even know what the bull looked like so how are you going to identify it in the future? You might even fantasize you escaped without harm and boldly claim you are uninjured when, in fact, blood streams profusely from several different places on your body and everyone can see it but you.

One way or another you’ll be getting the horns, so you might as well just reach out and grab them. Sure, you’ll probably sustain a bruise here and bleed a bit from a gash there and spit out a few broken teeth while your mother isn’t looking, but it’s better than being gored and trampled into the dust of the earth.

Sometimes you’ll see the bull coming from a distance and you’ll be able to prepare. Understand that this is a luxury. Other times you’ll be walking along, no bull in sight, thinking everything is fine and dandy when you turn a corner and get caught off-guard by that bull giving you the evil eye. All this time it was patiently lying in wait. A perfect ambush. What are you going to do?

“But I’m holding my groceries,” you protest. “If I drop it my milk will spill, my eggs will break, and I won’t get home in time to put the chicken in the fridge before it spoils.” Guess what? Too bad. If that bull gets you, you think it’s going to care about your groceries? Those groceries (or whatever) are already as good as gone, so cut your losses and deal with it. “But I don’t have to, my friends will grab it for me,” you mumble. “They’re standing next to me as I speak.” Hey, they might. Friends are great. You just can’t expect others to bail you out all the time. What if they’re busy dealing with a bull charge themselves? Everyone’s got his own bull to grab. Curl your fingers around those horns and you may find strength you never knew existed.

For argument’s sake, let’s say my advice doesn’t work. You put yourself out there, you muster the courage, and you take a fat one in the gut. “Screw you,” you whimper as you feebly clutch the gaping injury to your stomach. “I did everything you told me to, but it was too fast and too powerful and I still got gored.”

Yup. It happens. Lick your wounds (but not for too long), pick yourself up, and try again the next time Mr. Bull comes around. Heal your own inner pain and the experience will make you stronger. That’s how muscles grow; you break them down through strenuous exercise and with proper nutrition they come back bigger and badder than ever. But if you decide to surrender and hoist that tempting white flag, know that you’re holding a banner that says “Bull, keep goring me until I’ve learned my lesson, pretty please” and your circumstances will not change until you put the damn thing away and burn it. So strive relentlessly to overcome the bull in whichever form it may appear. As with all things, practice makes perfect. This is the nature of success.

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This article was inspired by two things, a song by Tears for Fears called Woman In Chains and a friend of mine named Anton. He decided to stop pissing his life away and do something good for a change. Anton started what he says is the first online retailer of automotive parts in the Philippines. I ran into him last Sunday night when I was hanging out with a few of our friends from Cebu and he seemed driven, grounded, as if an inner fire burned in him that previously had been nothing more than a torch waiting to be lit. It’s been about a month since he’s been in business, so only time will tell if his venture ultimately makes it in the long run. Let’s hope the bull he wrestled to the ground doesn’t get back up and catch him unaware during a moment of weakness. His website can be found at www.autosupplier.ph.

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If you’re interested in hearing my thoughts on a particular topic or just want to give feedback, shoot me an e-mail at mentalmornings@gmail.com.