Positive Vibes!

Positive Vibes! In all things life, personal, work or sport, it applies! My go-to activities when I need inspiration and motivation to tackle life and what it serves up are riding my bicycle, running, or enjoying a leisurely walk infused with rock tunes. It soothes the soul and quiets the mind, allowing me to focus and get on with that which matters. I love the poem by British-born American poet Edgar Albert Guest, ‘Keep Going’. Guest, known as the People’s Poet, paints everyday life, through his poetry, with inspiration and optimism. His poem ‘Keep Going’ does precisely that, when you want to give up or give in, Keep Going.

Keep Going by Edgar Albert Guest

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest if you must—but don’t you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don’t give up, though the pace seems slow—
You may succeed with another blow.

Often the goal is nearer than
It seems to a faint and faltering man,
Often the struggler has given up
When he might have captured the victor’s cup,
And he learned too late, when the night slipped down,
How close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out—
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems afar;
So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit—
It’s when things seem worst that you mustn’t quit.

‘If my mind can conceive it, if my heart can believe it, then I can achieve it.’ – Muhammad Ali