Are You Swimming Upstream

Are You Swimming Upstream?

Tim Connor

More than once in my life I have been accused of swimming upstream. Let me ask you, ever been accused of the same behavior?

Consider that maybe everyone else is swimming in the wrong direction and you are the only one with the courage to go against the grain.

Nothing new happens until someone challenges what is known or considered normal.  Inventions, medicine, travel – whatever – everything new is because someone had the willingness to weather the criticism, scorn or judgments of others implying that because they were different or unique in their thinking or actions of others.  Been there?  I know I have, whether it was a new book or way of presenting my ideas.

One of the things I have discovered during my life is that none of us are wrong – we are just different, unusual or dissimilar but this doesn’t make us deserving of others criticism.

Think of political correctness that is really getting out of control.  It’s getting to the point where we can’t say anything to anyone about anything without earning their wrath.

Think of creativity whether in art, music or any other area.  I’m not a fan of Rap music  but that doesn’t mean it’s wrong unless in my opinion it has a lot of caustic or swear words that are included that disparage others in some way.

I’m not a fan of opera but that doesn’t mean I lack class or sophistication. I don’t like jumping out of airplanes or rock climbing, but that doesn’t mean that those who do are strange or bizarre.

Swimming upstream often takes courage and conviction and the lack of the need of others acceptance.  Upstream swimmers over the years in many ways have changed society in both positive and negative ways, but ask Bill Gates, Mark Twain or Albert Einstein if they think they are strange and guess what – they will or would have looked at you as if you were the one that was strange challenging what they felt, believed or how they acted.

Mark Twain and Will Rogers have always been two of my heroes and I think this is because they both swam upstream.

Are you too concerned about how others describe you or feel about you or their opinions of you that prevents you from expressing who you are?

Do you sometimes live on the edge; just because you can or are you what Batterson (a great author by the way) calls “Rim Huggers”?

Swimming upstream will often earn you the scorn, ridicule or criticism of someone or some group, but in the end if you allow them to prevent you from being you – what a shame.

As I have been guilty of many times saying to an audience,” I would like you to like me, but it’s more important that I like me than you liking me so I am who I am – take it, leave it, accept it, like it, don’t like it, hate it, love it etc. it’s up to you, but in the end I’m not going to let you determine who I am, what I believe or how I think, feel or behave.”

My intent is not to hurt anyone in any way with my writing or speaking but as soon as I let you determine who I am – I lose who I am.  Mark Twain once said, "If there is no malice in your heart there can’t be any malice in your words.”  And I believe this is true.

Too many people let others determine the quality, creativity and ultimate outcome and value of their life – let me repeat – what a shame.

So, why not start swimming upstream more often.  I can tell you from experience the river is not as crowded upstream.

"The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing.”

Albert Einstein