Difficult Times Produce Great Opportunities

When newly-elected President John F. Kennedy sat down to write his inaugural address, he wanted something simple, something straightforward, and something on par with the powerful word choice of Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address.

The speech, which he crafted with his masterful writer, Theodore Sorensen, would go on to inspire children and adults to see the importance of both civic action and public service. His famous words, “Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country,” challenged every American to contribute in some way to the public good. Today, those words are as relevant as ever.

First, we thank all those who are helping — those on the front line of this pandemic, enduring no sleep, not seeing loved ones, and, at times, being overwhelmed with grief caused by the loss of human life.

For those who are not able to help directly, there are other ways to use your time to make an impact. Sir Issac Newton, when quarantined during the Bubonic Plague, invented calculus. William Shakespeare wrote King Lear during the same isolation. Works of genius can begin from the work of men and women alone with nothing but their thoughts, ideas, curiosity, and time. Time is not our enemy, but our friend. There may never be another moment (at least we hope) where we all have so much free time to make an impact on our lives and the lives of others.

When author Stephen King was teaching English, living in a trailer home, he was working on his first novel loosely titled Carrie. Each night, he would come home from school, type a few pages, and then start his routine again. After struggling for several months, feeling like he wasn’t producing quality work, King threw every typewritten page into the trash. Fortunately for him, his wife found the manuscript in the garbage, then read each page and salvaged the project. She knew he was onto something even though he didn’t.

The lesson here is that we cannot get frustrated during this time of isolation. We cannot give up on any project we start. We need to keep moving, keep thinking, and, most of all, keep doing the work we love that could benefit our country in the coming years.

Difficult times produce great opportunities. Don’t throw your script in the trash just yet!

P.S. If you are in search of a book recommendation, our team at The Daily Coach highly recommends Life Is So Good by George Dawson with Richard Glaubman. In this remarkable book, George Dawson, a slave’s grandson who learned to read at age 98 and lived to the age of 103, reflects on his life and shares valuable lessons in living, as well as a fresh, firsthand view of America during the entire sweep of the twentieth century. Dawson’s irresistible voice and view of the world, offers insights into humanity, history, hardships, and happiness.

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