Written by Karen D. Swim

“It don’t matter what you tried to do, you couldn’t destroy me! I’m still standing! I’m still strong! And I always will be. “– Antwone Fisher, 2002

I saw Antwone Fisher in 2002, when it was first released. I was drawn to the story line about a young man who enlists in the Navy, and is helped by a Naval psychiatrist to finally confront the demons of his past. It was a powerful movie that dealt with family, friendship and finding inner peace.  In one particularly moving scene the main character, Antwone Fisher (played by Derek Luke) spoke the lines above. When I heard them something awakened in my own heart, as these words seemed to echo in my spirit. At the time I was facing no particular challenge but I tucked the words away knowing that somehow they belonged to me.

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Over the years, these lines have become my personal mantra when facing adversity.  I sometimes modify it to “I’m still standing. I”m still here,” but every iteration strengthens me and renews my determination to fight through the obstacles. As I speak them out loud, they seem to plant my feet on solid ground and enclose me in an impenetrable fortress.  Though life may swirl around me I am reminded that I am indeed still standing.

I thought of this line this week as I received word from friends in Texas in the wake of Hurricane Ike.   Friends like Robert Hruzek and Mrs. MZM who thankfully made it through the storm.  As reports and pictures came in, I was glad that they too were still standing, all the more poignant as in so many instances the Hurricane had leveled so many homes.

Life may have dealt you a few setbacks but you are still standing. Your legs may shake from the effort but as long as you can proclaim that you are standing there is hope. I have been painfully aware in my own life that often it is not the movement that matters but the ability to simply stand. To stand in the face of adversity, to stand when everything seems to conspire to knock you down, to stand when the ground shakes and the skies rumble, to stand when then the torrential rains beat at your door, to stand when others are pushing you to move.

Today as I face the business and personal challenges in my own life, I am so very thankful to report that I’m still standing. I’m still strong. And I always will be.

Do you have a favorite line from a movie or book that gives you strength or uplifts your spirit? Share your favorites in the comment box below. All of your comments are welcome.

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Written by Karen D. Swim

Happy Friday! I hope this has been a good week for everyone. I hit the pause button yesterday and enjoyed hanging out in the “real world.” It was nice to take a break on a day I would normally be working. The brief break validated two things: 1) I have spent far too much time of late on the computer and 2) people out there (you know in the rest of our world without an avatar) could care less about the issues that seem so important online!

My first clue came when I had an urge to tweet my activities. Admittedly these could have been by best tweets yet because real life has great material! However, I was surrounded by real people and in a daring move… I talked to them! No 140 character limit or need to @, dm or add a smiley. Now don’t get me wrong I am normally chatty and strike up conversations wherever I go, but this was Thursday in the middle of a work day.

I mentioned Twitter and Facebook a few times during the day and um no one cared. Seriously. There was no talk of analytics, trends, fail whales or LinkedIn’s new group policy. Because, apparently a large part of the real world just doesn’t care.

There is however, common ground.  We all care about the things that matter – life (yea, suprisingly we are all pretty darn happy to wake up each day), health, family, career, balance, etc.  Essentially many of the things that we tweet, kwip and plurk are the same things discussed in the neighborhood barber shop or the corner store.  So, why I wondered are we often so polarized?

Those of us who are involved in social media and online work tend to forget that we still represent only a small percentage of the population.  Many more people see online as primarily email.  Our online experts are often unknown outside of cyberspace.  Yet those that have made a name in the real world are known by all.

So, what did I learn? I learned to not take this all so seriously. I can stress about stats, polls and SEO or I can put it in perspective and simply enjoy the journey. I also learned that well, I need to get out more! I need more days where there is no purpose other than to just hang and let life happen.

Now, it’s your turn. How do you manage your online time? Have you ever felt the need to dial it down? Do your real world peeps share your online interests? Talk to me, because I’m back and I am interested!

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Written by Karen D. Swim

Gymanastics is a fascinating sport. The combination of power, speed and grace require athleticism and artistry uncommon in other sports. I watched the Olympic Women’s All-Around Finals last night awed by the performances. One by one each tiny little gymnast running toward a balance beam. Their bodies moving down the runway with such speed you could almost visibly see the wind behind them. I watched the power of their leg muscles pulsating as they ran and then with a forceful bound  up in the air, twisting and landing on a tiny 4 inch wide piece of wood.

It takes an incredible amount of power to perform any of these gymnastic routines.  I know how hard it is to simply do a few sets of military push ups (aka the boy kind).  I cannot imagine propelling my weight in the air and then precisely controlling my movements in that way. Wow!

As I watched I thought of the lessons from these gymnasts that could be applied to life.

You can get the same score with a different style. Shawn Johnson is 4’9′ and weighs 90 pounds. She is all muscle and power much like former gymnast Mary Lou Retton. Teammate, Nastia Liukin is tall for a gymnast, 5’3″ and she is lean and graceful. Each approached the balance beam differently but received the same score. Whether you do two and half twists or one your outcome can rival others in your space. Do your routine to the best of your ability.

The way you take off impacts your landing. You can’t meander toward the balance beam. To gain the power needed to carry you through, you must run headlong at top speed. The speed powers the momentum that enables you to bound upwards toward your goal. If you want it, you have to go for it, commit to yourself and your actions and take off at top speed.

There’s room on the podium for more than one winner. Even when it was apparent that Liukin had locked up the gold medal, Johnson approached her final routine ready to rock the performance of her life. Liukin did take the gold but Johnson stood next to her as the silver medalist. Don’t let the accomplishments of others intimidate you. You have earned the right to compete. Rock the performance of your life. This is your moment in the spotlight, so shine.

You can’t control the actions of others. The gymnasts could only control their own performances. The judges had the power to deduct points and downgrade the difficulty of routines.  We can prepare and execute but we cannot control how others respond to our performance.  You can use their feedback to improve but you are truly only in control of yourself. Give it your all and trust the results.

Stick the landing. You may wobble a bit on the beam or get to close to the low bar on the uneven bars but still have a great landing.  As you tumble through the air, spot that target and focus on grabbing hold of it with all you’ve got. When you land upright, both feet on solid ground, you can raise your hands in victory. All the effort of the journey, even the missteps led to that moment. Stick it and smile!

Remember, even if you do land on your butt, you’re still looking up!

Now, dear readers over to you.  What are your Olympic words of wisdom? Feel free to share whatever is on your mind right there in the comments. Hey, and if you like this post, click the “Share This” beneath the post to stumble, digg or post to your favorite bookmarking site.

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