You can’t change the past, so just forget about that. All you can do is make the future better. As we get older we seem to reflect more and more on what was, what is, and what will be. What lessons have been learned? What can we do better now? What does the future hold? Have you ever asked yourself those questions?
What I know is that 15880 days have passed since day one. Wow! Hopefully there are more, a lot more, to come! Maybe it’s optimism, but I am counting on 14235 good days in my life, so I’m just 54.4 percent there. There is plenty more to do, and hopefully I will get it right.
There are a few principles that I know now, but maybe they weren’t so clear earlier in my life. Such as:
- Make every day a better day. Sometimes that’s easier said than done, but there are always things that we can do at work, at home, with friends, or somewhere that will make a meaningful difference. It is what you do each day that counts, not what you are going to do. Look for those opportunities and don’t let a day go by where you haven’t made a difference . . . somewhere.
- Live in the present. Or the precious present as a good friend likes to say. It is so easy to be driven to achieve big goals that we forget to step back along the way and see the good things right in front of us. Go for those big goals . . . but remember to stop long enough to see the small, beautiful things right in front of us. The moonlight over snow covered mountains, the beautiful words of a great melody, the smile on a child’s face, a small act of kindness that brings joy to someone close, and so much more. These seemingly small things can make a huge difference, for you and those close to you.
- Learn from what happens, the unfortunate things and good ones too. The Swon Brother’s song – This Side of Heaven – has a phrase that’s so true for all of us, “Somewhere this side of heaven is hell.” Yes, there are tragic events that happen in life to everyone, and we make mistakes that we regret. The good news is that as long as we have another day, we have a chance to make it better, whatever it is. Learn from those events. Find the good in them. If you are person of faith, you’ll be strengthened by them. You can’t change the pain or the past, but you can move on and do something positive with it.
- Be better tomorrow than you are today. We are all a work in progress; a mosaic that’s never quite finished. We can learn something new each day. Make it our goal to do so. Be open to new ideas; to keep on learning; the different ways of doing things. Be enriched by them. You can be a better you tomorrow!
- Show little acts of kindness daily. We more than likely are pretty good at the bigger things in life, but it is the little things that we can miss doing. Look for ways to show people around you the best of you. The small things that can make a real difference really count.
- Remember that the best is yet to come. I believe that no matter what we have accomplished in our life, what we have been able to do, the biggest and best thing is yet to come. It is waiting for us to identify what it is. Be vigilant, have the confidence to take a chance, and look for those opportunities.
These simple things may seem obvious, but let’s not lose sight of them on our journey.
Keep discovering and exploring yourself...........
