".....so I gave up."

I had the same old tired conversation yesterday.  I must have heard this about a zillion times by now.  It was about eBay.

Cashier:  You have a PayPal Business Card!  Do you sell on eBay? 

Me:  Yes, I do.  That's how I put food on my table.

Cashier:  Oh, I really wish I could sell on eBay.  I tried once but I couldn't do it right so I gave up.

She tried ONCE and gave up.  Good grief! 

So I did what I always do, I encouraged her to try again and I gave her my business card so she could call me for advice.  But I'm sure that she won't.  I've done this so many, many times and no one ever calls. 

Here's what I know:  if you aren't willing to try again, then you don't really NEED to do whatever it is you tried to do.

I was awful at eBay selling at first, too, and I made a ton of little mistakes (as well as a couple of fairly big ones) but I could not afford to give up.  My disability keeps me from working at a regular job so I have to do something to keep the wolf from the door.  I needed to learn to sell on eBay, and I've kept at it.  I am still learning and, sometimes, still screwing up.  Giving up was never an option.

Despite what people seem to expect these days, life is not fair.  And I don't believe that it should be.  We need to learn to fight our way out of the egg, just like chicks do.  If you help them, they never gain strength and they die.  Making things too "fair" just sets everyone up to lose.  We have learn that it is imperative to try and try and try again.  We don't do stuff perfectly on the first attempt; it takes effort to achieve.

So what if we're not each a Thomas Edison or a Marie Curie?  We shouldn't expect to be so.  We simply don't all have the same brains or beauty or other assets that other individuals might possess.  That does not mean that we are short-changed by life.  We should recognize the importance of our own unique human gifts so that we can use what we do have and then we can do good with it.  Just imagine how much we all collectively lose each time someone tries ONCE and then gives up.  What great things could be gained if only we would persevere!

I'm gonna keep trying.  Even if all I can do is sell on eBay, I'm gonna give my best with every sale.  I'm just a small seller and likely always will be but I can still shine.  So could that cashier if she chose to keep  going instead of giving up.