Today is August 16 and the Navigate the Chaos question to consider is “How often do you remind yourself that the bamboo that bends is stronger than the oak that resists?”
People who navigate the chaos understand the necessity in being flexible in matters both personal and professional.
Dwayne Douglas Johnson, also known by his ring name The Rock, is an American actor, producer and professional wrestler and has had to be flexible many times in his life in order to navigate the chaos. Johnson graduated from Miami in 1995 with a Bachelor of General Studies degree in criminology and physiology but he wasn’t quite ready to give up on his football dreams despite the lack of interest from the NFL.
He ultimately joined the Calgary Stampede as a backup linebacker but was cut two months into the season.
“The dreams I had, they’re dashed,” he revealed to The Hollywood Reporter. “There is no more football. My relationship was crushed. That was my absolute worst time.” As a rambunctious teenager, Dwayne Johnson turned to the physicality of building up his body and ultimately football to overcome a rocky patch at home. Once again forced to sift through the rubble that was his life, it seemed only natural for him to look inward at what made him special; his wrestling pedigree.
After years as a wrestler he became a sought after actor and movie star.
As he said in an Instagram video recently “Sometimes the goal we’ve worked our ass off for years is never achieved. Playing professional football is the best thing that never happened to me. Have faith in the one thing that you wanted to happen is often the best thing that never happened.”
His life exemplifies the Japanese proverb “the bamboo that bends is stronger than the oak that resists.”
How often do you remind yourself that the bamboo that bends is stronger than the oak tree that resists?
Johnson remained flexible to move forward. Do you?
This Navigate the Chaos post is part of the Stand category that includes the following entries: