WHY
We currently live in the most prosperous country on the planet. We live in an era where all the information you need, in whatever your interest, is all literally at your fingertips. There are no bounds except for the limitations individuals create in their minds. It reminds me of a parable about an elephant and a rope. A man was passing an elephant at a circus, and he saw that the only thing restraining the elephant was a piece of rope wrapped around the ankle of the elephant that was secured to a chair. The elephant just stood there and made no attempt to get away. He then approached a trainer nearby and asked why such a powerful animal can just stand there with no attempt to break away. The trainer responded "when they are very young, we use the same size rope to tie them and at that age, it's sufficient to hold them. As they grow up, they are conditioned to believe they cannot breakaway." The man was amazed. These animals could at any time break free from their bonds but because they believed they couldn't, they were stuck right where they were. Like the elephant, how many of us go through life hanging on to a belief that we cannot do something, simply because we failed at it once before. Why do individuals hang on to their past in such a destructive way? I understand your past is your story contributing to who you are today but, that's just a part not the finished product. Your finished product is under construction. It will be finished when you take your last breath on earth. Our past is like a chapter in a book, transitioning the reader into the next chapter.
The way I see it, if your past or story was not great, so what. Why stay there? You have the ability to change your life, however you want to. Don't be the elephant in the room, no pun intended and live stuck in your past. Make the changes you want to, for the life you desire. Why not? Unlike the elephant in that parable, we have the ability to change the way we think. So, why not change the way you think? And, why not now? What are you waiting for? I was watching my daughters' softball game last night and they both had fabulous games. I truly mean that. I'm the type of dad, that does not sugar-coat. If they play lousy, I will tell them. So, one of my daughters hit a home run. This wasn't just a home run; it was over the fence. It's rare to see a home run hit over the fence at this level but this was more than that, it was a monster shot. The section of the fence where she hit the home run is 221 feet from home plate however, her shot had to be closer to 300 feet. Everything about her swing was perfect from the weight shifting to keeping her sights on the ball, to not over swinging, to keeping her shoulders leveled, to connecting on the sweet part of the bat. She puts herself out there, game after game understanding that most of the time she bats, she is not going to hit a home run. Her previous at bat could have been a strike out but it didn't matter to her. The previous at bat is her past. It was just a chapter in her life leading to the next chapter being a monstrous home run. You always want to grow and get better. You never want to stand still. Like water, if you stand still too long you start to smell. So, why not live the life you want? At the end your story, you want to close with no regrets. You are not going to live forever in a physical sense but living cautiously is not living at all. Swing for the fences as my daughter did. Most of the time you will fail. That is all part of the learning curve. But, by putting it all out there, eventually you will hit the monster shot. I leave you with a quote on point. "Go for it now. The future is promised to no one." Wayne Dyer.
Just a thought.
The way I see it, if your past or story was not great, so what. Why stay there? You have the ability to change your life, however you want to. Don't be the elephant in the room, no pun intended and live stuck in your past. Make the changes you want to, for the life you desire. Why not? Unlike the elephant in that parable, we have the ability to change the way we think. So, why not change the way you think? And, why not now? What are you waiting for? I was watching my daughters' softball game last night and they both had fabulous games. I truly mean that. I'm the type of dad, that does not sugar-coat. If they play lousy, I will tell them. So, one of my daughters hit a home run. This wasn't just a home run; it was over the fence. It's rare to see a home run hit over the fence at this level but this was more than that, it was a monster shot. The section of the fence where she hit the home run is 221 feet from home plate however, her shot had to be closer to 300 feet. Everything about her swing was perfect from the weight shifting to keeping her sights on the ball, to not over swinging, to keeping her shoulders leveled, to connecting on the sweet part of the bat. She puts herself out there, game after game understanding that most of the time she bats, she is not going to hit a home run. Her previous at bat could have been a strike out but it didn't matter to her. The previous at bat is her past. It was just a chapter in her life leading to the next chapter being a monstrous home run. You always want to grow and get better. You never want to stand still. Like water, if you stand still too long you start to smell. So, why not live the life you want? At the end your story, you want to close with no regrets. You are not going to live forever in a physical sense but living cautiously is not living at all. Swing for the fences as my daughter did. Most of the time you will fail. That is all part of the learning curve. But, by putting it all out there, eventually you will hit the monster shot. I leave you with a quote on point. "Go for it now. The future is promised to no one." Wayne Dyer.
Just a thought.