Its the climb...

(version en espanol... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzWW7O4AzzY )

OK...don't laugh at me, but I stumbled upon this Miley Cyrus video today and LOVED the song. While I might prefer hearing Sting or maybe Beyonces voices on it...a good song is a good song. The lyrics were the best thing...

That dream I am dreaming
But there's a voice inside my head saying
"You'll never reach it"

Every step I'm taking
Every move I make feels
Lost with no direction
My faith is shaking

But I gotta keep trying
Gotta keep my head held high

There's always gonna be another mountain
I'm always gonna wanna make it move
Always gonna be a uphill battle
Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose

Ain't about how fast I get there
Ain't about what's waiting on the other side
It's the climb

The struggles I'm facing
The chances I'm taking
Sometimes might knock me down
But no, I'm not breaking

I may not know it
But these are the moments that
I'm gonna remember most, yeah
Just gotta keep going

And I, I got to be strong
Just keep pushing on

'Cause there's always gonna be another mountain
I'm always gonna wanna make it move
Always gonna be a uphill battle
Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose

Ain't about how fast I get there
Ain't about what's waiting on the other side
It's the climb, yeah!

There's always gonna be another mountain
I'm always gonna wanna make it move
Always gonna be an uphill battle
Somebody's gonna have to lose

Ain't about how fast I get there
Ain't about what's waiting on the other side
It's the climb, yeah!

Keep on moving, keep climbing
Keep the faith, baby
It's all about, it's all about the climb
Keep the faith, keep your faith

This song is written by someone who understands some of my personal philosophical criteria. Life is full of conflicts, highs and lows, good luck mixed with bad luck, and running into a mixture of good and bad people. Often times it seems just as we were going to "arrive" in life to some fulfilled dream or destination, something happens to take us down a few steps. Many of us never find total contentedness or satisfaction in our accomplishments or experiences. The more we have, the more we want. The more we achieve, the more we want to achieve.

This past couple of years has been very tough on many of us. Many friends and family members have lost jobs, lost their houses to financial devastation, or lost loved ones more permanently. A song like this one represents to me the motivation and meaning in overcoming our obstacles and pain. No matter our age or position in life...we each have options on how we are going to view or react to life's circumstances.

I have been fortunate in my life to have many examples of people close to me who exemplify overcoming heartache and disappointment...or financial ruin...and finding a way to rise/climb above the pain and disappointment to live even better, more meaningful lives. It seems to me the first challenge is having a vision or goal. I get concerned when I ask people what their goals or objectives are and I see that "deer in the headlights" look in their eyes.

The key to living life to the fullest in my experience is keeping your focus on your dreams and ambitions and an open mind. Problems or hardships should be looked at as challenges or signs to go a different direction. If there is no new direction evident, we just have to find a way to climb over those obstacles. If we think and do hard enough...we will find a way. And the joy will be..."the climb".