It is funny to me how some things stick seemingly without reason or invitation.
The phrase I hear regularly but heard again recently to, “keep on keeping on” was one of those things for me.  I hardly remember anything of context or what else was said but I do remember that.  In a sense I feel it is a common theme of mine, but I reckon I could have worse common themes.
It’s meaning is well known but in looking it up I was reminded of something I said. Keep on keeping on means “to continue to persist or persevere, especially in challenging situations.”  It was “especially in challenging situations” that reminded me of having said something like “I feel I am at my most vulnerable when things are going smoothest.”
By that I meant that when faced with a challenging situation I am inclined to want to fight.  To beat it.  I need strength for that, and I know I grow.  But when things are going smoothy (and I love those times, and they are the reason for fighting) I can let my guard down.
When dad was around, he lived up north at one stage and used to drive down to visit me.  I remember him telling me there was one section of the highway he did not like.  It was just north of Brisbane.  Smooth, long and monotonous. I knew where he was talking about.  I had a mate who fell asleep while driving on that section and ran off the road.
By contrast I remember driving in Tasmania when I was visiting there.  I do not know why I was doing it, but I was on a dirt road up high.  And I was on high alert.  I watched out in every area.  High concentration (by the by that was where I saw my first echidna.  I have seen one in Queensland since but the first is always memorable.)
The point for me is to keep on keeping on I am at my best when I am alert.  Accidents can happen when things are going smoothly and I lose focus.

This is a quote from an Economics professor called Tyler Cowen.  In itself it is not rar rar, but to my mind it contains an invaluable principle.  The first two paragraphs give it context.  It is the last paragraph I like in particular.
“Yesterday I had lunch with a former Ph.D student of mine, who is now highly successful and tenured at a very good school. I was reminded that, over twenty years ago, I was Graduate Director of Admissions. One of my favourite strategies was to take strong candidates who applied for Masters and also offer them Ph.D admissions, suggesting they might [like] to do the latter. My lunch partner was a beneficiary of this de facto policy.
At least two of our very best students went down this route... neither realized that it was common simply to apply straight to a Ph.D program, skipping over the Masters. I believe this is now better known, but the point is this.
At critical moments in time, you can raise the aspirations of other people significantly… simply by suggesting they do something better or more ambitious than what they might have in mind. It costs you relatively little to do this, but the benefit to them, and to the broader world, may be enormous. This is in fact one of the most valuable things you can do…”
I really believe in attempting to raise the aspiration of others.  From my experience, too often I tend to sell myself short.  As I often say, I do think the hardest part is getting started.  But it seems to me once started I can set my sights higher.  All I need do is my best and who knows where it will lead.
I did a Cert 4 in project management.  I was one of a number.  But I will never forget one girl who did such a good job that when she was tested, she was granted a diploma.
To me the key is not setting an upper limit.  Base lines are the least required to get the job done.  Upper limits to me can restrict possibilities.  I once did better in something than was expected as it was obvious my information came from more than what was provided.  That was done due to my interest in the subject.  I went above and beyond.  
I think the strategy Tyler Cowen mentions is valid.  I reckon it is important to not hold back but to encourage opportunity to dream and go for it.  The possibilities for everyone are above and beyond.  Limited expectations lead to limited outcomes.

It is a fact of life that I am not always excited and motivated by the dreams of others.  I can  be excited about what I want to do, and recognize there may be dry times in achieving what I set out to achieve.
Yet when it comes to the dreams of others, I can see dryness as the way the whole thing is.  I would rather be doing my own thing.
Yet I pause because I realize something.  If I need help in achieving my dreams, then it is reasonable to assume others need help in achieving theirs.
In a way that sounds selfish in that I am using another to achieve my own ends.  Yet I think it is better said we are all using each other to achieve our own ends.  As far as I am concerned alone is never ideal.  Alone is not what works best.
It is true to me that I alone can decide a course of action for myself I want to take.  But alone is not best for anyone.  More can be made of dreams done together. To me together is best.
I have gone down this path because Merril told me she wanted to transfer a tv with a dvd player to her room and put up a shelf.  This was to aid her study.
I admit I was not into it.  Yet I felt big time that Merril helps me so I should help her.  Ok I have this thing about electricity in walls that I want to steer clear of.  Rightly so it seems to me.  Dad was in the building industry and at one stage pressed for electricity wiring being included in plans.
I do understand why that was not pursued.  To me the including of wiring may be right at the time of building, but so many changes can be made down the track.   The powers that be do not want to be responsible for future accidents because action was taken based on how it was.
Anyway we used electricity finders.  That is after we googled it to see how what we had worked. 
Everything was harder than we had imagined but elbow grease and ingenuity won out and we did it.
Merril has what she wants, and we both feel good about it.  I learned new skills and a work around, and Merril had what she needed for study.  We achieve more together.