This week I turned the ripe old age of 45. It seems quite young but it is still a cause for reflection.
I have two dead Brothers and if I combine their ages at the time of their deaths it only totals 43. Also, my grandfather died at 42. This may seem like a morbid way of thinking and it's the kind of discussion that we try to avoid as human beings but in my opinion, it's a very important subject to reflect on. The reality is I don’t know when I am going to die; it may be moments away or it may be decades away. The important thing is, what am I going to do between now and then?
I think the reason we avoid this discussion is that we are trained from a young age to focus on the wrong things. To value the wrong things. Our main focus in life seems to be on what we can get out of life. But what we get out of life can never satisfy us. This is why we always crave more. And deep down we know this, we know this to be true. True satisfaction and joy in life cannot come from outside of ourselves; they can only come from within.
True joy and satisfaction in life come from being our true self and finding opportunities to express ourselves honestly. This comes in the form of making contributions to life. Once we have made these contributions they can never be taken away and they outlast us.
And there is no need to think that these contributions need to be big contributions. It would be great if every one of us could discover the cure to a fatal disease but that may not be our path. There is an old Buddhist belief which I subscribe to which states that every time we interact with somebody we leave a little piece of ourselves with them, and they leave a little piece of themselves with us. And this in my opinion, is the most powerful way to make a significant contribution to life.
So whether it is anything from a simple smile to giving assistance when you have a positive interaction with somebody else, you are making the world a better place because you are putting more positivity and more positive energy into the world.
Therefore you have the opportunity to make the world a little bit better with each and every interaction that you have. That is why I always encourage you to be guided by your own values, your own beliefs and your own hopes and aspirations for this world rather than react to the behaviour of others. In many ways the true meaning of a miracle is when you receive the negative behaviour of somebody else and rather than react to it you pause, take a breath, and respond with your own loving kindness. This is how we can change the world one step at a time.
I hope that gives you a little something to think about today and maybe you can focus on how you can make small differences in the world around you.
Values Based Living
Discover, define and prioritise your values so that you can base your decsions on what is important to you and start making your contribution today.
To discover, define and prioritise your values, check out 'Values Based Living'.