It’s almost fourth quarter and we seniors are all going to be heading off to live alone in the big world pretty soon. Without the comforts and support of living at home, many of us will have some difficulty adjusting. We will have to learn to deal with life with maturity, and take responsibility for ourselves.
A friend of mine has a philosophy that embodies this concept what this concept requires. Rosie Brennan graduated Park City High School after 2nd quarter this year in order to pursue her talent at Nordic skiing.She has been junior Olympic champion several times.
Rosie has a motto for which she is famous among her friends. When someone is complaining, her response is, “Suck it up!”
This incredible athlete knows what it takes to work through sore muscles, but her wisdom also pertains to much more than competitive athletics. While “suck it up” may seem rather blunt, this saying applies to most life situations. There are a lot of things that are out of your control and you can choose to complain or just to suck it up and deal with them.
When you’re getting tired in a race, suck it up and push yourself harder. As Rosie’s favorite quote says, “Pain is temporary, quitting is forever.” Don’t give yourself excuses that prevent you from achieving your goals.
When you’re cold because you didn’t wear warm clothes, that’s your fault, so suck it up. Either find some hand warmers, stop for cocoa, or just be cold for a little bit without ruining everyone else’s outdoor fun with your whining and complaining. And next time, wear warmer clothes.
When you are all alone without a significant other, suck it up. Get out, get involved, and meet people. Be satisfied with the available candidates, or do without, but don’t sit around feeling sorry for yourself. That won’t solve your sorrows because moping really doesn’t make you very attractive to anyone. Don’t be fake, just realize that you’re going to be OK if you don’t have somebody special to hold your hand and complicate your life.
When you convey inaccurate information that is not a matter of opinion, but is simply false, suck it up and take responsibility. Don’t complain of the injustice (because it’s not unjust for someone to point out your incorrect assertion); learn from the mistake and start to double check what you hear to make sure it’s true before you repeat it.
When you fail a test, suck it up and study for the next one instead of crying about something you’ve already done and can’t fix. Like spilled milk, it already happened. Now all you can do is clean it up and be more mindful of where you put your drinks (or how you spend your study time) in the future.
We all have negative feelings sometimes and I’m not trying to convey that no one should ever be sad or upset. Your reactions are real and you can’t deny reality.
In fact, it is healthy to share your problems with another person because it can help you sort out the issues. However, you can do this without making whining a central motif in your life story.
The best we can do is to accept the things we cannot change, change the things we can, and know the difference (Serenity prayer).
In other words, suck it up.