Fight until the war is over. The war isn't over until you win!

this is a story of 2 indian tribes. The first indian tribe had strayed from their ancestral path. they didn't do many of the rituals anymore, and slowly bit by bit left the old ways behind. When the chief was asked why they stopped he answered: "the rain dance doesn't work. We dance, but hardly ever get rain. This tells us our ways are ineffective and erroneous." The second tribe held fast to the old ways. completed rites and rituals and hadn't strayed or abandoned the old ways at all. When asked why the chief answered: "the rain dance. It works every single time we do it." this puzzled the questioner, so he asked if he decided to observe the 2 rain dances to see what was different in each one. The first tribe rolled out the drums, suited up in the ritual clothing and started to dance. after a while nothing happened. so the first tribe packed it up. The chief said, "see i told you. It doesn't work." When the second tribe was up, they suited up and started to dance. They kept dancing and dancing and dancing through the night. They danced until rain clouds rolled in. they danced while the first sprinkles hit the earth, and they danced until the ground had churned into mud. With a cheer the chief said "see, it works EVERY time." the only difference in the 2 dances was how long each one took. the second tribe didn't give up. they danced until they got their rain.

Some people work for what they want, and get it, others do not. This is a simple fact of life. Take the difference of method between these two tribes. Anybody can look at this story and say, 'duh, if you want to dance outside for hours, days, weeks, months, and years, then yeah, its only a matter of time before the rain comes. The dance itself had nothing to do with it.' Trust me, every time i tell this story i hear that argument and, trust me, i've never thought that to be the case. you see, the story here isn't about the dance itself, or even about the rain. The story is merely a metaphor about what people are willing to do to accomplish their goals. The story is a perfect model for people's attitudes toward the world today.

There are people who say its just not worth it, keep your head down, live out your life, and die happy. Then there are those who cannot side by and watch the world pass them. They actively pursue their goals. These are the heros of our world. These are the people who improve the world. These people dance until it rains, and they ALWAYS get their rain.

Is it easy? NOOOO!!! it hardly ever is. Life is hard. there is a reason for that. Ever meet a body builder that never set foot in a gym? Ever meet a public speaker that had never given a speech before?

You will deal with bad bosses, low pay, dishonest people, you'll get ridiculed, you'll be abused, you will have rough days. these are constants. So what will you do? Quit your job whenever it gets hard? move to a new state when your neighbors decide that you don't fit in their group?

What will you do when life gets tough?

When life got tough for me, i held fast to my wife and 2 daughters. When the guard royally screwed me over, i got a job as a waiter, and worked doubles to pay the bills. When i had a stroke at the age of 28 i figured out what i needed to do, and i did it to live longer.

I am not the product, i am the equation. I work to improve my life and the lives of those intertwined with mine. I have walked some very difficult roads in the past, and i'll walk even more difficult roads in the future. we all have challenges. Some of us are dealt a horrible hand, like the 16 year old girl whose parents died of AIDS and drug overdose. She decided she wanted more out of life, she graduated high school in just under 2 years, and attended an ivy league school. This is one of thousands and thousands of stories.

when you dance... will you dance until it rains? Or will you dance until it gets difficult, and go home thirsty?