I think it’s time, time to do something a little different. You see most of my life I have spent chasing the moment never seriously contemplating the impact of living my life in that way. I just allowed the immediate to dominate. I fell into things, into habits, attitudes and perhaps even people. I saw my decisions as isolated events rarely if ever really considering their pattern or that they might undermine my future in ways that would be irreconcilable. It’s not that I didn’t want to make something of my life, I did. But intent is not the same as doing. Now my life has not been wasted or even badly lived, I have done many good things, and I have enjoyed some success. But I know equally that I am not at my intended destination and that I have cheated myself and those closest to me out of a greater good.
Recently I‘ve come to see more clearly that we don’t randomly arrive at some destination. We arrive at the destination that is at the end of the path we have chosen. This is not some great revelation to many of you, and intellectually it seems obvious. But do we really live to this truth every day. Or do many of us more often than not make decisions that serve the moment over furthering our intent? Do we fool ourselves into believing that we can somehow reverse or change the destination of our decision making at some magical moment to arrive at our intended place. Our decisions have patterns, and those patterns have predicable outcomes. We only need to look at them objectively and honestly to know where they will lead. Spend your money and you will have none. Make no effort and you will have no success. Blame someone else and you will make the same mistakes. If on the other hand you set goals for yourself; make decisions that move you towards those goals you stand a chance of reaching them. Live with only intention and decisions that serve the moment and your chances of reaching your intended goal is left to chance. I think your life and my life deserves more than a spin of the wheel.
Unfortunately there are some things that can never be recovered; a marriage lost, money spent, friends abandoned, time. But regardless of where we may now find ourselves ... there is always time for improvement and for building and sharing wisdom.
These aren't my thoughts, at least they weren't until someone shared them with me ... but I'm going to own them now.
