No. 291

Someone once said that, “Enthusiasm is that kindling spark which makes the difference between the leaders in every activity and the laggards who put in just enough to get by.” After I had thought about this quotation for a little while, I was reminded of the days when I used to go fishing with some friends and we would put out a trotline and some yo-yos and usually fish all night. While we were waiting for the fish to bite we would build up a good fire on the bank and sit around and tell stories, mostly reminisce about the big ones that got away. These were much simpler times but they were good times.
Every once in a while we would go fishing after a few days of rainy weather and our big problem then became, ‘how do you start a fire with wet wood?’ This is not the easiest thing in the world to do especially if you are limited in your fire starting materials. Here is a point that is worth noting. Once you can get the fire going real good, the heat will dry out each new log or piece of wood that is added and it then becomes self-perpetuating.
Here are a couple of insights that may bring what I’m saying a little closer to home. First, getting started or staying on the road to real success which most of us desire, is kinda like getting a fire started with wet wood. Once we get our lives and careers headed in the right direction and keep adding logs to the fire, it is much easier to keep it going. And secondly, that wet wood could be compared to all the negative people we encounter each day. They have a tendency to extinguish that little spark we need to get started.
When we get started, our success can serve as an example to help others get going. It’s good to remember that, “a candle loses nothing by lighting another candle.” Here is a wonderful little story that will illustrate what I’m saying. Back in the days before we had electronically controlled gates at railroad crossings at night, when a train was stopped in a business district or residential area, a brakeman would be stationed at the crossing and he would wave a lantern to let oncoming cars know there was a train in their path.
One night in this small community, the train was stopped at the crossing and the brakeman was at his post. This was about midnight and it wasn’t long before he saw the headlights of an approaching car. The brakeman waved his lantern but the car kept coming and it crashed into the train. When the dust settled the car got the worst end of it and while there were some scrapes and bruises, luckily no one was seriously injured. Well, in a few days these people were contacted by a lawyer and they decided to sue the railroad and the case finally went to trial.
During the trial the brakeman testified that he saw the headlights of the approaching car and he waved his lantern. He further stated, “When I saw that the car was not going to stop I ‘ruch’ up and waved it again.” To make a long story short they didn’t get anything and after the trial was over the railroad lawyer was complimenting the brakeman about what a great job he had done as a witness for the railroad. The brakeman said, “Well, Mr. Bill, I shore am proud of one thing.” The lawyer said, “What’s that?” He said, “I shore am glad that other lawyer didn’t ask me if that lantern was lit.”
If you will think about this story I believe you will see the unmistakable point of how it relates to many of us. Too often we go through life waving an unlit lantern. This is to say no spark and no enthusiasm. As a result we miss the joy of living and the opportunity to make a real difference in the lives of others. My encouragement to you is this: decide what is really important in your life and then get excited about doing it. (Jim Davidson is a motivational speaker and syndicated columnist. You may contact him at 2 Bentley Drive, Conway, AR 72034.)