Religions give us guidelines for how
to live our lives. Sometimes the guidelines are very broad (e.g., Do
unto others as you would have them do unto you) and sometimes they give
very detailed and specific advice.
People fail. Even people who try
very hard to practice their religion fail sometimes. Do you give up?
Do you walk away? Of course not!
The practice of your religion is not
intended to make you perfect and then you never make any more mistakes.
We’re people—we’re fallible. As weak, fallible humans, we practice
religion in order to try to keep moving in the right direction. When
we get “off track,” religion helps us get back on track.
Working toward your success is the
same way. You need guidance and direction and reminders about the
path you’re on.
If you make mistakes and become “less
successful” or break one of the habits or rules you’ve set for yourself,
don’t worry. Get back on the path to success. Forgive
yourself; learn from the experience; and set a plan to avoid this mistake
in the future.
Success isn’t a place you get to and
stop. Success is a goal you strive for. It is a vision of
excellence and accomplishment.
You will stumble and fall and fail.
But that’s not the end. Every day is a chance to start over, refocus
your energy, and head in the right direction
Nobody has the answer. “The
Answer” is found in the process of growing, evolving, improving yourself.
It is tempting to get stuck on a program – to define yourself as part of a
program.
Sometimes I get so “into” my program
that I think my ideal schedule would be:
- One hour of meditation
- One hour of writing
- One hour of reading
- 30 minutes on the exercise bike
- and a long shower.
On some Saturdays I actually come
close to this. Although, on Saturdays I usually do 90 minutes of
yoga. You can see that, on a daily basis, this would really cut into
your day.
According to my own exercises at
focusing, the important things in my life are: My family; my
personal development; and growing my business. There are several
sub-goals for each of these areas. If I spend 4-5 hours a day
working on a “program” that’s supposed to help me improve myself, I would
have a lot less time to live the things that are important to me.
Nowadays there are lots of 12-Step
programs modeled after Alcoholics Anonymous. There are great
programs that help millions of people but every once in awhile someone
gets “stuck” in the program.
If you haven’t met someone like this
yet, you will. Often they get stuck at the “I’m a person with a
problem” stage and never get to the stages that help them improve their
lives.
I see people who hate their jobs but
don’t quit. I believe it is possible for every one of us to find a
job, or create a job, that we like so much that it is part of who we are.
If you have a job that you love, then you don’t dread going to work.
And you don’t long for retirement.
This is one example of bringing
balance into your life. My wife works for the State of California
and contemplates retiring one day. I don’t anticipate retiring.
As change is inevitable, I see that the mix of activities in my daily life
will change over time. But I don’t draw a big dark line between work
and the rest of my life.
I love my work and I love my life.
I know I’m blessed to have such a balance, but it didn’t happen by
accident. I worked on creating the balance and I work even today on
maintaining the balance. I believe you can find balance too.
If there’s a “program,” let it be one you create to bring into your life
the balance that’s right for you.
Don’t get
stuck on “the program.” Don’t define yourself as a person constantly
working to find you who are and what you want to do. Become the
person you want to be. Gradually, slowly, and for the rest of your
life.
