There has been much talk of late about the soulless void that has been created in our pursuit of wealth. Many people are awakening to the fact that we seem to have our values upside down. This pursuit of the material has been described as selfishness, perhaps that is a very unfortunate joke. No one suffers more from the pursuit of wealth than the individual sacrificing all other life expression in order to obtain it. How we define success should reflect our whole being. Surely peace of mind, a good night's sleep and joy in life are more desirable than slavery to a mortgage and the admiration of others held in the same slavery of attainment. Obtaining wealth isn't wrong ... but sacrificing everything to obtain it may just be.
Recently, I bought my partner a blank book with the Emerson quotation on the cover.
"To laugh often and much, to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children, to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends, to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others, to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch... to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded!"
Life provides opportunities to make many decisions. Anyone can have a blank book, a clean slate any time they decide to give themselves permission. Decision requires surrender.
What would you do if you decided to start with a blank book? To leave the baggage of yesterday and face each day with hope?
I decided to start my own blank book and this is what I wrote on the first page.
pursue the best for you and do not settle for anything less
do the work you want to do with the type of people you want to work with
make time to play, to share with friends, to give something back
start!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
Thanks for sharing. This is very timely for me too!
Post a Comment