“Most who are looking for mates that they haven’t quite found yet are so interested in getting to where they’re going that they’re missing the fun of going there.
—Abraham
Excerpted from the workshop: San Francisco, CA on March 02, 1997”
Although this quote is referencing looking for a relationship/partner, the concept behind it applies to every aspect of life.
I experienced this and missed so much of my childhood and young adulthood because I was driven with a singular goal in mind – to be a doctor. Everything I did was aimed toward that one goal. I never paid attention to anything that was going on around me whether that be people or events or nature or anything. I simply wanted to become a doctor.
The day I graduated from medical school, the one thought that went through my head was “What now?”. There was only a few fleeting moments of joy at having achieved my goal but then I realized that life had to go on and I had no idea what life really was all about. This is so applicable to making sure that your goals do not overtake you and keep you from enjoying the journey to the finish line. It’s also about making sure you have created another goal for when you’ve accomplished this one.
It’s so essential that we enjoy every day and do something meaningful every day. Learn and do something new, go somewhere new or special. Most of all, though, I feel that living every day to the fullest is about giving something to someone every single day. That may be just a smile or a compliment or it may be a dollar to someone on the corner. I don’t know but I do know that at this time of year, there are a great many people in need. The obvious ones are those in need of financial support especially if they have children. But the ones that I think are more important and unfortunately not obvious are those that are sad and depressed and have significant problems with the holidays. There are so many suicides during this time and if you’ve ever been depressed or just down, you know the pain of watching others be so joyful and having others to love and be loved by when you feel you have nothing.
Reach out to at least one person a day. Even if it’s just to ask “Hey, how are you doing? You are such a valuable person that I wanted you to know how much you mean to me.” Something like that. Write an email to an old friend to see how they are doing. Join a forum and see what you can do to help others. I want to start that type of forum here so that others have a place to go where there are like minded people and the price of membership would be to do something good for someone (either in the forum/membership) or not.
What can you do today? Who can you touch today? Make a decision that you will NOT continue to miss another day along the wonderful path you are on. Stop and really smell the roses – the roses are euphemisms for whatever glory you might see along the way.
Be in the present but most of all do something for another person today!
Terrie