The Three-legged Stool

Events occur in one's life. They challenge you. They ask you for a philosophical response, a guiding set of approaches, and practical paradigms to live by, to operate by. For me, the framework is like a three-legged stool: leg (1), each day must be spent fighting against the challenges as hard as possible, believing you can win; leg (2), prepare for the worst in case you lose; and leg (3), while fighting to win and preparing to lose, live each day--at least an hour of two--as a joy unto itself; after all, why live except to live? A three-legged stool: fight; insure; enjoy.

Balancing this three-pronged approach is a constant triangulation of effort and equality.  If any side of the trianglation is overwhelmed by the combination of the other two legs, the stool's very shape implodes...and the beauty of its essential nature disappears, and we are doomed to a life of imbalance. If any leg gets longer or shorter than the others, if our daily effort and concentration is spent over- or under- emphasizing one leg more or less than the others, the three-legged stool tips over and we crash to the ground.

Remember: Fight hard to win, prepare well to lose, find daily happiness amidst the struggle. And maintain the balance.