This week's Pep Talk: "Emotion of Great Delight"

While sweating away on cardio equipment at a gym in Vail, Colorado on Independence Day weekend, I was watching the men’s final from Wimbledon. Serbia’s Novak Djokovic had just beaten Spain’s Rafael Nadal for the title. The 24-year-old was celebrating afterward, tossing tennis rackets, sweatbands and kisses to the adoring English crowd.

Then the image of his family in the stands was shown. The unbridled joy on their faces prompted tears to flow from my eyes and join the sweat of my face. Is there any greater joy for a parent than to watch your child achieve a dream? It was this season’s number-one ranked player’s first Wimbledon title.

Joy, wow, what a great thing to possess, right? Defined as “the emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying”, joy is something to cherish, and welcome, when it appears. In each and every Pep Talk presentation, we talk about being “joyful for the blessings of life.” Is it just me, or does it seem moments where joy reigns, like the Djokovic family celebration, are experienced less than speaking directly to a customer service representative? Rarely?

That darn thing called life, with its unexpected, and unwanted, twists and turns often makes it tough to experience great delight and happiness. Right before sitting down to remove this thoughts from cranium, I received a message on Facebook from a friend asking for prayers and support: a brain tumor was wreaking havoc on her mind, body and spirit, causing seizures and horrific pain.

Where’s the joy in that? We all have challenges - physical, emotional, financial and spiritual - constantly battering our bodies, minds, souls and wallets. The question becomes, how do we handle life’s lemons?

Well, how about this: Try like heck to become a student, not victim of the experience; realize you’re not alone and connect with others who might share similar challenges; encourage - give hope and confidence to - one another to put fear aside and allow wonderment to win in creating productive choices to the challenges faced. Finally, we have to make sure our strategy to overcoming the adversity honors us, nurtures those dependent upon us and adds value the communities we serve. It’s a four-step process with, darn it, no shortcuts.

Hope and enthusiasm for the future, in the face of great adversity, is not an easy task. However, with hope, “feeling that what is wanted can be had, or that events will work out for the best”, we are inclined to exert effort - like Djokovic at Wimbledon - leading to success and the emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying.

Imagine if that would be an accurate - exceptionally good or satisfying - description of our lives? Have a great week and for those where just surviving right now is a very good option - BLESS YOU!