Resilience

The right attitude when it gets tough

A few years ago, I have been attacked by a mad stray dog. An experience to remember.

This dog I met wanted a piece of my tender legs regardless of how many kicks, sticks and punches it had to get in exchange.

I fought back bravely and kick the beast with all I had. I’m not sharing my juicy calves with a random dog. The fight was tough but in the end I prevailed. The dog was exhausted, wounded and I believed it has given up. The second I turned my head away and started walking farther down the road, the air whooshed behind me.

Alarmed and surprised I jump high and turned up in the air. The dog charged again fiercely from a new angle and it was millimeters away from my ankle. The game was on.

This episode repeated itself about 4-5 time. The dog just kept attacking and eventually bit me. It superficially scratched the skin of my right calf and punctured my leg in one place. Not very deep. Everything ended when the dog got a few kicks in head and became knocked out for a few moments that allowed me to run away fast.

What an experience. And made me thinking.

Initially that dog was outgunned and had no chance of winning. It just kept going. The damage it got was massive. I pity it for the wounds and pain caused but still it was me or the dog. The power ratio between us was significant but it took it chances and went all the way. If we, the people, would have been doing the same thing for all the projects we start, it cannot end up too bad. If we pick our fights/projects wise and focus well only on the important one our chances of making the best out of them are solid.

There is no secret that life has its unexpected situations. Every time I hit a bump in a project development I cannot help myself not recalling the dog fight I had and the resilience and determination that stray dog had. That’s the right attitude when it gets difficult.