KEEP RUNNING!

WHAT ELSE ARE YOU SAVING YOUR “ALL” FOR? 

"Let me remind you that it is only by working with an energy which is almost superhuman - and which looks to uninterested spectators like insanity - that we can accomplish anything worth the achievement. Work is the keystone of a perfect life. Work and trust in God."  - Woodrow Wilson

One of my favorite characters in film is Forrest Gump (1994). Forrest certainly gave his “all” in everything he set out to do, whether in military service, playing ping-pong, or building the Bubba Gump shrimping business. It’s a household name. 

Forrest was also considered the village idiot. But Forrest’s character was actually the embodiment of many great principles, including commitment, faith, conscientiousness and loyalty.

There is, however, a single character strength - a habit that I'm not sure has a name - that truly defined Forrest Gump. And I believe if you can adopt this one habit, it will propel you through Life’s many challenges and ultimately ensure your success. Just like it ensured success for that unlikely winner, Forrest Gump.

Let's call this singular character strength vertical obedience.

On whichever bus Forrest got on, and with whichever mean children or selfish recruits told him, “Can’t sit here” or “seat’s taken,” Forrest simply obeyed. When Jenny or Bubba said, “Run, Forrest, Run,” he didn’t think. He didn’t stall. He ran. In fact, Forrest’s complete obedience to the advice of his superiors inspired his Drill Sergeant to call him a genius:

Drill Sergeant: “Gump! What's your sole purpose in this army?” 

Forrest Gump: “To do what-ev-er you tell me, drill ser-geant!” 

This complete "vertical" obedience also helped Forrest escape every threat, save many soldiers' lives, become a ping-pong champion, get invited to the White House…again...and eventually become a gazillionaire! Oh, and raise a son to carry on his name and legacy. Not bad for the village idiot.

And yet Forrest’s obedience only tells part of the story of his greatness. 

The theme of “running” was clearly the thread that tied many scenes and each stage of Forrest's story together. Still, these scenes were punctuated by singular acts of vertical obedience. Running may have helped Forrest overcome numerous singular and immediate threats, his greatness was sourced in something greater. 

Forrest was "powered" by the energy of immediate action, and it was "perpetuated" as long as he didn't try to stop anything that he had started. 

Once Forrest began running, for example, he kept running. Once he learned to keep his eye on the ball, he never took his eye off the ball. Once he made the decision to build a successful business, nothing could make him give up – not even Gulf Coast hurricanes. He ran without ever thinking, "When do I stop?" 

This is just the opposite of many young people today. Some have been given good advice by parents, teachers and coaches, and yet they'll whine, “How long do I have to keep doing this?”

I've even found myself asking the same question of myself when practicing an expert's advice or good and healthy habits. And yes, I've whined.

Forrest never whined. But more importantly, he never tried to get out of what his experts told him to do. In fact, Forrest was so dogmatic about keeping doing what he knew to do, his coaches had to have signs made that said, “Stop, Forrest” so he would know when he could stop running!

So how can we know when to stop running? That answer came to Forrest after 3 years. Let's start there.

If something you're building or pursuing requires you to run to achieve it, survive it or succeed in it, keep running until. Remember the advice of Jim Rohn?

"How long do you give a baby to walk until you give up?"

We keep trying to get the baby to walk until!

We keep following the advice of the experts we trust until we manifest what we're after. We certainly don't stop heeding their advice just because our “immediate” threat is over.

I’m beginning to see that by treating expert wisdom as more than just temporary advice - like the advice from Lt. Dan, “Run, Forrest Run” – we, too, can continually increase our momentum, get further from danger, and get into a rhythm that keeps us succeeding ALL the time, not just once in a while.

The geniuses behind the film Forrest Gump taught us that dogged obedience to experts is the first step to seizing opportunity and being perfectly positioned for success. They further taught that the Master Key to realizing that success is of sustained effort without trying to stop what we start.

"In a race, all run, but only one receives the prize. So run that you may obtain!" - St. Paul

When the voices in your head try and talk you out of giving your all, of sustained effort, or they try tempting you by saying, you've done enough, you should get more rest, you deserve a vacation - try and be as simple as Forrest Gump. Remember, to whom much is given, much is required. And you've been given much, which makes vertical obedience and dogmatic sustained effort harder. Lucky you.

If Forrest Gump had been given as much upstairs as you, don't you think he'd embrace it all by still giving his all? Of course he would. Because of that character.

Just keep running, just keep learning, just keep doing, and just keep giving your all. Who knows, maybe you’ll get a letter from some “fruit company” saying you don’t have to worry about money no more.

Then you can say, “Good, one less thing.”

©2011-2020 Tiger Todd

Image retrieved from https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0109830/mediaviewer/rm546812161