Fifteen-plus years ago I started working professionally as a Forrest Gump impersonator/look-alike/tribute artist. I used the expression ‘gump-like’ thousands of times to describe a person, one of their attributes, or to define an interaction that occurred between myself and another.
Forrest Gump had many admirable and notable character traits. Forrest was persistent. Being gump-like is being persistent.
Persistent as in knowing your goal.
Persistent as in staying focused on that goal.
Persistent as in opposing all opposition.
Persistent as in overcoming obstacles.
Persistent as in discarding discouragement.
When Forrest was learning to play ping-pong, he persistently practiced.
When Forrest was building a shrimpin? empire, he persistently performed.
When Forrest was becoming a good father to Little Forrest, he patiently persisted.
If someone said, “You are ‘gump-like’!” … would you take it as a compliment? I do.
Are you choosing to live a gump-like life?
Next Blog Title: Defining Gump-like (part 4)
Next Blog Date: December 22, 2011