During my early twenties, I worked as a house-painter for my grandfather.  I will never forget the first time I turned over a gallon-bucket of white, high-gloss paint.  The entire area where I was working became flooded with enamel. 

     The paint that was supposed to be on the wall was now covering the floor; and on top of that I had to deal with what my grandfather was going to say.  I will never forget what he told me when he saw the mess.  He said, “Son, what makes a painter a professional is not his ability to stay clean, but his willingness to clean up the mess.”  In his grandfatherly way, he explained the messy nature of the paint business.  He told me about the first time he, too, turned over a can of paint.  He then said, “You can’t avoid spills; you just have to clean them up.”

     Life is somewhat like painting houses.  It is tedious and time-consuming work; and you’ll want to keep a rag on you because it is going to get messy.  You and I will not be able to avoid the “spills” of life.  But the difference in someone who fails and someone who succeeds is their willingness to clean up the mess.  If you have made a mess of things – don’t feel alone, we all have turned over the bucket; just be willing to start cleaning it up.