Readers know how, at this stage of life, I often find myself spending more time in reflection. It’s something many humans are prone to do when the view through our personal windshields displays the evening horizon looming.
The process for me invariably leads to discovering ways to improve the remainder of my time in today’s enchanting yet far too troubled world. For instance, I steer clear of drama of all forms. Been there, done that. I also appreciate more than ever a fine meal, natural beauty and true friends who know how to make me laugh, especially at myself.
There’s fascination in studying interactions between animals and birds and other people. I watch them more closely than ever while marveling at how whatever it is that is actually the essence of “me” (disregarding the external fleshy parts) somehow meshes with the vast images, smells and colors that envelop us.
We each truly can, in this physical world, become what our thoughts dictate. Impoverished people with the right attitude can become wealthy. Human beings can turn intangible mind-stuff into a Mars landing, drones and laser beams. One must envision a chair before one can take the actions necessary to build one, right? Do I choose to forgive or hold a grudge? Both have consequences for my quality of life.
A gem of wisdom recently appeared as a social media meme that said a person who plants a sapling without ever expecting to one day bask in its shade has learned the meaning of life because their thoughts and resulting actions are focused on the welfare of those yet to exist.
Success magazine, published in Dallas, addressed this question a while back, concluding we each can improve our lives by actively creating positive changes. While the ideas author Jim Rohn shares might not be uniformly suitable for everyone, they provide food for thought that strikes me as relevant for most of us, and certainly myself.
First, Rohn writes, step up and face your fears, including all those things across a lifetime that have generated anxiety and fearful thoughts. After all, when everything’s said and done, that’s all they are: thoughts.
The late John Denver once sang: “All the things that you fear, at the most they mean nothing.” That’s how to conquer them. Face, rather than dismissing them. Admit to yourself what you’re fearful of and ask what you can do to change that. Start the process today.
Next, Rohn says, we benefit from exercising our willpower at any age to change life’s direction. There’s no need to continue doing what you’ve been doing for years if it’s not yielding benefits you desire. Simply choose a new destination and head that way, applying willpower to begin. There’s no need to repeat things you did last year. As you make these changes, be sure to clean up errors and invest time and energy toward the future.
Then we should simply admit our mistakes, as difficult as that might be, especially if you are basically insecure. Some find it so much more convenient to fault others and circumstances for our errors, which continues until that cycle is broken.
Sometimes you have to admit those errors to others. Among the most positive phrases in the English language is “I’m sorry.” “Those words,” Rohn writes, “could start a whole new relationship. They could start two people going in a whole new direction. Admit your mistakes to yourself. You don’t have to babble about them to everyone in the neighborhood. But it doesn’t hurt you to sit down and have a conversation with yourself and say, There’s no use kidding myself. … I don’t want this to happen anymore.”
Don’t be reluctant to refine your goals and reach higher while you still have the time and ability to stretch creativity and energy into new achievements. Set higher goals, and reach for elevated purposes in your life. Stretch expectations beyond what you’ve perceived as your limitations.
Then, believe in yourself and the many positive things that can await only if you pursue such higher meanings. “You’ve got to believe in the possibilities. You’ve got to believe that tomorrow can be better than today,” Rohn explains. He also insists there’s no skill you can’t learn, discipline you can’t try, class you can’t take, or book you can’t read.
Always seek wisdom (since it permeates our lives in many forms), especially that which creates answers in any form to significantly feed both the mind and heart. Ask for wisdom to deal with immediate and future challenges. “Don’t wish it was easier,” Rohn writes, “wish you were better.”
Conserve time and pause to place things in perspective while you can. “Sometimes we get faked out. Motivational speaker Bill Bailey says the average person says ‘I’ve got 20 more years.’ But Bill says you’ve got 20 more times. If you go fishing once a year, you’ve only got 20 more times to go fishing, not 20 years. That fakes you out,” Rohn says.
Live with intensity as if your being in the world for a brief and uncertain period truly matters. You might invest more of yourself in whatever you undertake, writes Rohn. “Be a little stronger; be a little wiser. Step up your vitality contribution. Put everything you’ve got into everything you do and then ask for more vitality, more strength and more vigor, more heart and more soul.”
Finding your place can enrich life in many ways with the right approach. “If you just work at a job,” Rohn says, “find the best place you can serve well, and sure enough they’ll ask you to occupy a better place. Keep doing a job well; do the very best you can.” That’s always your best way out.
Demand integrity from yourself, Rohn urges. It’s also called being honest with yourself (or intellectual honesty). “Integrity is like loyalty. You can’t demand it of someone else . You can only demand it of yourself. Be the best example of loyalty, and you’ll get loyal followers. Be the best example of integrity, and you’ll have people around you who have integrity. Lead the way.” And don’t settle for anything less, even though others around you may choose that route.
Finally, to improve your life and find its deeper purposes, don’t be reluctant to stand and fight with everything in you for what your heart and mind tell you is right.
“It’s extraordinary to be able to say: ‘I fought for my kids; I fought for what was right; I fought for good health; I fought to protect my company; I fought for a good career that would bless my family. I fought a good fight.’ It’s good to fight the encroachment. Opposites are in conflict and you’re in the middle. If you want something valuable, you’ve got to fight for it,” Rohn writes.
So there, valued readers, are beneficial suggestions for making the most out of your own life’s meaning. Above all, refuse to settle for anything, or anyone, that is less than you know in your heart is both true and best for your spirit. Trust me, when all’s said and done, it will not have mattered a whit how others tried to influence you though their own agendas.
Mike Masterson is a longtime Arkansas journalist, was editor of three Arkansas dailies and headed the master’s journalism program at Ohio State University. Email him at mmasterson@arkansasonline.com.