This time of year always has me in reflection mode. Getting ready for the New Year and making goals for it. Attempting to be a better person I was the previous year. It is about personal growth.
Have you ever noticed some people are never happy? I mean they have no smile (ever) and they always seem so glum about life in general. No goals. No dreams. No hope. I traveled through the Ozarks a few years ago and sat with some extended family I had not ever met before. Well, I think by meeting some new people in that part of the country has enabled me to understand people, in general a little better.
Some of the beauty in that part of the country is amazing. The town we were in was so small they had no McDonald's. I know. You’re gasping. But that’s not the point. I met a young man who had one dream in life. One goal. TO be able to buy a used pickup truck on credit and pay it off before it gets repossessed.
I found that a lot of people are glum because they feel they are stuck in a rut.
Now here is my observation. When we are forced to be something that we don’t want to be, we have no hope. But when we choose to be who we are, we then, and only then, find happiness and joy.
Now here is my application to daily life.
Are you in a situation that? Your life can change at any moment. Remember that you are in the driver’s seat, so take charge of your life and make it the best that it can possibly be.
I’m going to remember these five amazing tips by Arte Nathan that will help make 2006 a remarkably great year!
- Be positive and upbeat: We can all find the glass that is half empty, but why look for it? Every day presents us with opportunities to see the glass as half full and you should spend your time and energy trying to fill them up all the way. Think how much you can help others by showing them how and when and why they can help others today.
- Be an inspiration: Live your life as an example to others. Through all of the chemo and other treatments my mom went through for over six years, all the pain she endured fighting breast cancer, not once did she complain. She constantly took the focus off of herself and tried to do something for others, even to her last days.
- Tell others you care about them: All too often we just assume that others know how we feel about them, but are you sure they really know? There’s no harm in telling someone you love them – it never gets old. And if by chance you never get another chance you’ll be happy that you did.
- Find the harmonies in your life: The best things in life are those that complement each other and you should never miss an opportunity to share in them. Things that go together like peas and carrots. Ok, not Forrest Gump. How about a motorcycle and an open road? Don’t miss any chance to join in on life’s harmonies.
- Leap empty-handed into the void: Whether it’s your last moment on Earth or just one of the many along the way, remember to put down what you’re doing before you start to focus on the next thing. To get the most out of anything you should always be ready to put your all into everything you do.
I want to challenge you to be a better person, give a little of yourself to help others, smile at a stranger, tell someone you love them, and be good to one another this coming year.
See you in the wind.
Mike
