Sage Advice For Charting Your Course For 2012

I came across this poem by Edgar Guest. He was born in England, but spent most of his adult life in Detroit writing regularly for the Detroit Free Press. During his life, he wrote more than 11,000 poems all of which contained excellent advice for getting the most out of life. The one below contains some extraordinary advice on how to prepare ourselves to successfully navigate the New Year.

It Couldn’t Be Done
By Edgar Albert Guest

Somebody said that it couldn’t be done
But he with a chuckle replied
That “maybe it couldn’t,” but he would be one
Who wouldn’t say so till he’d tried.
So he buckled right in with the trace of a grin
On his face. If he worried he hid it.
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
That couldn’t be done, and he did it!

Somebody scoffed: “Oh, you’ll never do that;
At least no one ever has done it;”
But he took off his coat and he took off his hat
And the first thing we knew he’d begun it.
With a lift of his chin and a bit of a grin,
Without any doubting or quiddit,
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
That couldn’t be done, and he did it.

There are thousands to tell you it cannot be done,
There are thousands to prophesy failure,
There are thousands to point out to you one by one,
The dangers that wait to assail you.
But just buckle in with a bit of a grin,
Just take off your coat and go to it;
Just start in to sing as you tackle the thing
That “cannot be done,” and you’ll do it.

4 thoughts on “Sage Advice For Charting Your Course For 2012

    • Dear Craig,

      Thank you for your kind comment regarding my Reminder a few weeks ago. I hope all is going well with you. All the best,Ross

  1. Ross,
    Thank you so much for that poem. I have the “I can do anything” attitude, but life loves to throw a wrench in things. I will take this poem to heart in 2012 because I am still trying to find my salaried dream career in DC, I’m single again and have to find a way to pay all of my bills by myself, but IT CAN BE DONE.
    Happy new year my friend.

    • Dear Renee,

      Thank you for your kind comment. I hope things are getting better–knowing you,they are. All the best to you. Ross

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