The Great Antagonist

We can be sure that even Charro has antagonists driving
her to look this good in her 60's.  Photo snapped
 by me in Times Square in the winter of 2011. 

If you find yourself looking over your shoulder as you're about to be lapped again, or maybe your nemesis was just named person of the year, don't despair. Instead, take stock in yourself and remember what you're made of. You are NOT meant to merely breathe the dust kicked up by others.


For many of us, most days are about going about our business, keeping our house in order. But we're only human. Count on having days when you feel jealous instead of generous, or envy when you want most to feel gratitude. Everyone has days like this, even the most kind and giving among us, when we lapse and our egos shrivel to a sad, deflated state. When this happens, we become easy targets for other folks which can make us feel small, unworthy and  unsuccessful. It can be difficult to see ourselves as the powerful, unique individuals that we are. We needn't consider or defer to others when going after our dreams. We should never compare our achievements against those of our neighbors, but we do. Oh how we beat ourselves up.


If you have a tenacious antagonist in your life, remember that antagonists are like motors, reliably driving us forward to our next destination. The antagonists in our life make us great (and most of us have at least one). So next time you feel jealousy or envy, relabel that feeling and call it drive. Drive yourself forward to make yourself great. You can do it.  Remember, every story worth reading has a great antagonist. What's your story?