After all!

Aren't goals in life meant to stretch us and give us something to reach towards. A week or two ago as my family gathered for my niece's baptism luncheon I was amused by my two nephews. Before the luncheon began and as soon as they finished their last bite they were at the opposite end of the cultural hall (gymnasium) in our church shooting baskets. My 9 year old nephew was hefting the ball up and hitting the backboard nearly every time, occasionally dropping it through the bucket. My other nephew who is 5 however, was struggling to get the ball up as high as the rim. Every so often he could reach as high as the goal and get one to drop. Through my observation I noticed that despite the challenge of getting the ball to go through the hoop neither of the young boys stopped shooting. Through persistent effort and determination they kept trying and trying and didn't give up until it was time to clean up and leave the building.
The other day I left out for the day determined to reach my goal and get 2 sales on the day. Through hard work and effort I commenced working clear past sunset and into the dark. As I continued cold calling and knocking on doors with outside lights on I kept my head up. Although I had not yet scored the goal for the day I continued trying until it just got too late. As I was walking back to my car, dozens of thoughts raced through my head thinking what did I do wrong? Why not any sales? I decided at that moment that I worked hard and did what I could for the day and now it was my choice to react? I decided to react with a positive attitude. And as I walked thinking this I suddenly saw bursts of fireworks going up in the air ahead of me. (probably the end of a high school football game.) This made me realize that each day is precious and we can decide how to react to the situations we face.
I consider myself an optimist and strive to live each day goal-oriented with a positive attitude. I believe goals=progress and without them we're never really taking shots in life, but rather spinning our wheels in our endeavors.