I could hear screams in the air, not knowing quite sure where I was.
I was going in an out of consciousness, all the while moaning from some sort of pain that I felt.
I remember the medic in the ambulance ask if I knew what happened; I had been in a wreck, he said.
The next week I didn’t really remember much. I was in the hospital recovering from very serious injuries. This car wreck would be one of the defining moments of my life. I will go into detail about the wreck in another blog. Today though, I want to discuss how I became a much more stubborn person after the wreck.
Before I go into more detail about myself, I am going on record that I think stubbornness can be both a good and a bad thing. We all know people who are very hard headed. They will only do things their way. They cling to their decision driven by a resistance of being forced into doing or experiencing anything against their will. In the end, they tolerate the sting of criticism, make an excuse, or tell themselves that they can’t be wrong and don’t need to change.
Of course, standing your ground isn’t essentially a bad thing. But there is a fine line between standing your ground and being overly stubborn. And being overly stubborn can have some serious consequences. You have to ask yourself how much of this is stubbornness or defensiveness?
For me, I think I exhibit a little of both stubbornness and defensiveness. Defensiveness to justify my poor behavior and stubbornness when I think I am correct and may not be.
My stubbornness is not always a bad thing. Stubbornness can also help with determination. In my case, soemtimes being hard headed is a good thing. Once I make my mind up to do something, my strong will usually helps me to achieve my goal. Take my car wreck for example; it was a very long and arduous process to rehab myself back to normal. It was very painful and laborious many times making me want to give up. I dug deep and my stubbornness helped me fight through until my ADL’s were back to normal.
“Good and evil both increase at compound interest. That is why the little decisions you and I make everyday are of such infinite importance.” C.S. Lewis
Lewis’ words resonate on the topic of stubbornness as it can be used for good or evil. The next time that you feel inclined to be stubborn; I challenge you to analyze your reasoning and make sure that you are using it for good and now evil.
