“The purpose of life is a life of purpose.”
~Robert Byrne
Today I was thinking about how so many people approach life with a “just enough” attitude. Just enough kindness, just enough knowledge, just enough focus, work or effort. Just enough to get by and that’s good enough. Well, call me “Mr. Bubble Buster”, but I’m sorry, because that’s not good enough.
Most people, including myself, speak of all the things they’d like to see in the world. More peace, love, kindness, compassion, but we will never see any more of these things so long as we take the path of least resistance. There are not many things that can be accomplished by putting forth half an effort. We are going to have to work, sweat, cry, wrestle, perhaps bleed and maybe even be “inconvenienced”. I do not mean to make it sound as if any of this is a drudgery because, in fact, if one’s heart truly desires the outcome, it wont seem like “work” at all. It will be a joy as well as a deeply rewarding experience.
It all begins with the individual (me and YOU!)
If you apply the “just enough” mentality to yourself and to your own life, you certainly will not behave differently toward other people. If “just getting by” is good enough for you, what are the chances you will have a higher standard for someone else?
Let’s look at a few examples:
If you hate your job, yet take no action that will lead you out of that job and are therefore miserable, what are the odds you will be able to help another out of the same situation?
If you are overweight (barring any physical problems, illness etc) and continue to over eat and avoid exercise, and thus remain obese, how can you ever help to guide someone into a healthier lifestyle?
If you do not put forth 100% of your effort into seeing that your basic needs are met (food, clothing, housing), you will most likely not give give 100% effort into seeing that another person has their basic needs met.
If you do not love yourself enough to make the necessary changes (and put forth the necessary effort) that will improve and enhance your life, then the odds are you will not love another person enough to help them either.
Do you see the pattern? It al begins in me and in you. We must live our lives aware and consciously! Many of us have switched on the auto pilot and are merely going through the motions each day, all the while lamenting the horrors in the world and in our own lives. We have all been given a chance to make a difference and we do that by BEING the difference. We can have a lax attitude about everything, but just know that you’ll be getting lax results to match. There aren’t any shortcuts, so let’s roll up our sleeves and get busy. It is our actions, the things we do (or do not do) each and every day that tell the real story of what we believe. I look at my own life, even as I am typing this sentence, and I ask myself “What does my life say that I believe?”
What does your life say about you?
Life isn’t a dress rehearsal, this is the real thing.
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