My family’s dog loves chasing birds. I noticed when I saw him running across the field barking at a bird flying over him. He’s done this multiple times, so I’m certain he’s aware of what he’s doing. But I don’t know why he continues chasing flying birds.

Why would he chase birds in the air when it’s impossible for him to catch them?

There are things we want to accomplish in life, though it varies from person to person. For the few, their goals are impossible because of their limitations (i.e. social status, wealth, health, education). No matter what they try, nothing goes their way. Still, if we search hard enough on the internet, we’ll come across stories that defy the impossible. We think that if we try hard enough, our stories will be told in a similar manner.

But those stories are the outliers. To achieve our goals, we have to be at the right place at the right time with the right skills. In other words, luck is a huge factor that determines success. And not everyone can be lucky. If everyone were lucky, then no one would be.

Even if we know not everyone can be lucky, we continue trying anyway because we want to be one of the few that succeeded. We try despite the odds because we believe we can beat them. I think that’s one of the most beautiful things to witness– seeing a person making a persistent effort to get what they want despite their struggles. It makes us want to believe they can do it.

My family’s dog still chases birds out of his reach, and I laughed at him at first, but now I support him; I believe that he’ll catch one eventually if he continues trying.

TAKEAWAY: Have the persistence of a dog chasing a flying bird and support those that do.

Here’s my motivation for the day.