Life is complicated – or many people would have us believe.
It doesn’t matter your age, gender, race, religion, education or nationality, yes life can be complicated, but only if that is what you choose it to be. Let me explain.
I believe there are twelve life truths that when we live them with integrity, consistency and purpose the rest of life’s “stuff” will take care of itself and not become our major focus or burdens as we pass from year to year and yes, life will be less complicated, challenging and even difficult. I could list hundreds of attitudes, behaviors, opinions, strategies etc. but in the end most of these can be successfully managed if we will but follow the following twelve. They are in no particular order of importance, but yes, some can have a greater impact on our life success, happiness and inner peace than others.
Life is short – As each day passes we all have fewer years ahead of us and the question remains – what are you doing with the days you are given? Wasting them with worry, regret, discouragement, stress, envy or even anger or embracing them with joy, effort, charity, happiness, creativity, acceptance and compassion.
Life is about now – The past is gone. The future is unknown and uncertain, but what we do have is now. All memories are created in the now. All of our futures are created in our now moments and what we do with them. To live in yesterday’s regrets and tomorrow’s worries is to waste life.
Life is grounded in integrity – The essence of a life without stress, anxiety and success is grounded in truth. When we stray from integrity we set ourselves up for disappointment, uncertain relationships and often disaster. Truth – when it is the foundation of all life – contributes to inner peace, happiness and ultimate success.
Life is who you are – Life is not what you do, your roles, your responsibilities, your achievements, your failures or how you choose to define yourself. Life is who you are and the ability to remain true to this regardless of your roles, responsibilities or relationships. When you let circumstances and people influence who you are – you lose who you are.
Life is about gratitude – There are two types of people in the world – those who feel they deserve what they get, want and have and want even more and those who feel gratitude for what they have. Yes, they may want more or better, but regardless of what life gives them they always count their blessings for the gifts they are given. I am an ammature on scripture, but I believe it says, I’m paraphrasing here, “Be happy with what you have and manage it well and you will get more. Treat what you have with disrespect and as an Idol and you will lose what you have.”
Life is bigger than us – regardless of your spiritual values or beliefs – whether you are an atheist or committed Christian or somewhere in the middle you can’t deny that life is bigger than each and all of us. Robert Laidlaw said it best over 100 years ago in his famous book, The Reason Why, “Wherever and whenever you see perfect design, there is always a designer.” If you think the human body with all of its minute by minute millions of miracles is the result of chance or that the Universe with its complexity and vastness is the result of pure chance, in my opinion you are living in a fantasy world.
Life is about love – There are two fundamental emotions that drive all behavior and these are fear and love. When actions, decisions and behavior are grounded in fear things tend to get worse as regret, jealousy, discouragement, anger and hatred are all offshoots of fear. And when the above are rooted in love things will tend to improve. This is not always the case, but as evidence has shown over the years – positive approaches (grounded in love) to challenges and problems tend to be more effective than negative ones (grounded in fear).
Life is about legacy – What will you leave behind when you leave here? A positive, negative or neutral impact on the world and the people you interacted with while you lived your many years? Legacy is not created during your final days, but each day as you share your knowledge, experiences, wisdom, compassion and understanding with others. If you want a clue as to the legacy you will leave behind, just take a peek at some of your relationships, activities and accomplishments that you are living or experiencing now. These can be accurate indications as to how or whether you will even be remembered and the influence you had while alive.
Life is about growing – If you are not growing you are dying. Period. If you are not learning you are stuck. Period. If you are unwilling to embrace the positives related to change you are in denial. Period. If you are refusing to let go of outdated and inappropriate opinions, values, beliefs and attitudes you will remain a prisoner of your own mind and you are guaranteed to enjoy life less and accomplish little with the time you have left. Period.
Life is about wisdom – Wisdom is not knowledge. Wisdom is the combination of experience and knowledge. Knowledge is not access to information, but knowing what information is needed to improve some aspect of your life. Beware of the increased paradigm that information is power. It is not. Only wisdom is. Wisdom makes life easier, more rewarding and more enjoyable. Knowledge only improves your ability to discuss topics or subjects in a more relevant way.
Life is about community – We are all connected whether it is your neighbor, a distant relative or a stranger that lives thousands of miles away. Each of us creates our own world by how we connect with others in relationship. A rewarding life is about positive relationships grounded in respect, acceptance, compassion and understanding. When we lose these, we lose our ability to contribute to the lives of others. When we let political correctness and our narrow perspectives determine who we relate to and how, we will limit our ability to have a positive influence on the world and its occupants as well as the people who cross our path.
Life is about responsibility – I fear that many people today don’t grasp the simple concept of responsibility and spend more time and energy in denial, blame or finger pointing that tend to rule their lives. Many years ago responsibility was the dominant attitude of most people. They better understood the consequences of choices, behavior and decisions than many people do today. Responsibility, ultimately, is the outcome we will all face as our life comes to a close. Did you accept outcomes with maturity, courage and action or did you spend (waste) your years focused on a failure to accept the consequences you created or experienced during your life as a result of your actions, behavior and decisions? We will all one day have to look in the mirror as we contemplate our existence and how we lived our time here. What will be your conclusions as you take your final breath?
“There is more to life than increasing its speed.”
Gandhi
In His Service, Tim