The Buck Doesn’t Stop Til You Stop It

The Buck Stops Wherever You Stop It

Buck-stoppers

We’ve all heard the catch phrase “The Buck Stops Here” made famous by Harry Truman.  In short the phrase indicates the finality of a decision.  I don’t know what made me think of it, but when I did, I immediately thought about how people stop pursuing the passions which they have or had been striving.  “Why did the buck stop?” I asked.

Buck-stoppers

Discouragement is likely among the chief “buck-stoppers” (I just invented that phrase).  Our plans don’t always fall into place the way that we wish that they would (buck-stopper).  We get sidetracked by doing something else and never return to our plan (buck-stopper).  We stay on point because we have systems in place, but sometimes we modify the system and it doesn’t work as well as the previous one (buck-stoppers).  Life just happens and we start jobs and families and sometimes these things prove to be “buck-stoppers” or so it would seem.

The Buck Doesn’t Stop By Itself

You see, the buck needs our input in order to stop, but because we sometimes find it hard to face reality or the cold, hard truth, we look for reasons as to why our plans were not fulfilled.  But consider the following:

Cold, hard truth #1:  You stopped the buck.  Yep, there it is.  I said it.  What ever action that caused you to sidestep your destination, YOU made the decision to do it.  You literally “stopped the buck.”

Cold hard truth #2:  When things didn’t go the way that you planned, you moved on to something else.  You “stopped the buck” by deciding to abandon your well laid plans and move on to something that had not been thought out quite so well.

Cold hard truth #3:  Other people may have come into your life with a proposition that you felt you just could not refuse and you took them up on their proposition.  Listen to this carefully because it’s very important:  in essence, you “stopped the buck” on your own dream/goal in order to pursue someone else’s.  Now I just have to ask you:  What kind of sense did that make?

Cold hard truth #4:   You modified an effective system and opted for a system that did not quite work out so you “stopped the buck.” Rather than stopping, you may have wanted to consider returning to the old system that was working just fine until you had the bright idea to change it.

Cold hard truth #5:  Life, marriage, jobs and children, they all may slow us down, but the don’t have to be “buck stoppers.”  So what if it’s going to take you a little longer to achieve your goal.  Big deal!  Some of life’s greatest rewards come as a result of patience and persistence over a long period of time.  Slowing down does not have to mean giving up.  Or as my mother used to say “delay does not mean denial.”

Cold hard truth #6:  Just because you stopped the buck doesn’t mean that you can’t “start the buck” again.  What a reality check!  Did you hear me? I think it bears repeating.  Cold hard fact #6:  Just because you stopped the buck doesn’t mean that you can’t “start the buck” again.  Whoa, that is powerful.

Start the Buck Here!

” Every day presents another opportunity to hit the reset button on your life.”  Charita Cadenhead