windwalker
I need an Adventure
- Joined
- Dec 28, 2006
- Messages
- 6,477
The White Squirrel
While I was at the park doing some chilly miles, I saw a white squirrel. Most squirrels are born with the natural defense of being the color of tree bark, but mother nature brought these little guys into the world with two strikes against them. They are especially easy pray for airborne predators. You can desire the eye of the tiger, the raw power of the grizzly bear, or the speed of the antelope. Ill take the determination to live that the white squirrel must have to survive each day.
Our lives are 100% our responsibility. Most of us are born with intelligence and two strong arms with which to earn our place in this world. Like the white squirrel, we must never forget that our future depends on our actions. We dont have to worry about being eaten, but we do have to worry about minimizing the affects the environment has on our mind and body. We have to make a decision each day to do what it takes to keep ourselves well, both mentally and physically.
We know that smoking, using drugs, being overweight and drinking too much alcohol are dangerous and will bring about an early death. But the problem is that all these can ease the stress of day to day living. A healthy life has to begin with mental health. We have to view our life as worth living, before we can be proactive about keeping ourselves alive as long as possible. That worth living concept has a term, Happiness. Happiness is vital, and it takes courage to make the changes needed in order to achieve that magic state of mind.
The first step forward on the path that will lead you to happiness is to take personal responsibility for your life. Then take a good look at your current situation. Are you working a job you hate? In a marriage that is failing? Living payday to payday and in fear of something happening that will send you over the edge? I could mention countless undesirable situations here, but they all share common solutions. Make a list with your most pressing concerns first and working down to issues that are just irritating. Now look at that most unpleasant situation and decide what it is that makes it so. Now go to the next situation and on down the list and document what about each issue is making it stressful. Its a good idea to get your significant other involved as well. Chances are pretty good that if youre not happy neither are they.
This list making will allow you to evaluate your own situation and what makes you uncomfortable. Im willing to bet that most of what you have on the list concerns: finances, feeling that you are not in control, lack of personal time, your relationship with spouse, family, friends and co workers or health issues. Changing some of these situations will turn out to be easier than you imagined, and others will require you to make changes to your own thinking. A bit of fear facing will be involved and that to will probably turn out to be less difficult than you expected. Most of your changes you can accomplish yourself, but some will require seeking advice from a helping agency. Dont be afraid to ask for help when youre not sure how to proceed. Your quest for happiness is too important not to use all available resources.
I went through this exercise myself when I turned fifty. The half century birthday is a time that many of us start looking at our lives and start evaluating and wishing we had taken some different paths or made some better choices. The top two issues on my list were my health and lack of personal time. The results of my personal evaluation lead me to: 1. Make a career change. 2. Start a regular exercise program again and 3. Stop smoking. Once I was happier, I started writing in order to share with others that there is always a way if you want it bad enough. I learned a valuable lesson as well. My hour to an hour and a half of regular exercise four times a week gave me a lot more time in my day. That might sound strange, but when you have more energy and endurance, you can accomplish so much more. You also dont need to rest so much from the slightest effort.
Taking responsibility means that, like that white squirrel, we must do what is required to survive. To do that, we must value our life and want badly to keep ourselves healthy and happy. When we are happy with our situation, we will do what is required, but when we are unhappy its hard to motivate ourselves to take action.
Thanks for reading.
Dave
While I was at the park doing some chilly miles, I saw a white squirrel. Most squirrels are born with the natural defense of being the color of tree bark, but mother nature brought these little guys into the world with two strikes against them. They are especially easy pray for airborne predators. You can desire the eye of the tiger, the raw power of the grizzly bear, or the speed of the antelope. Ill take the determination to live that the white squirrel must have to survive each day.
Our lives are 100% our responsibility. Most of us are born with intelligence and two strong arms with which to earn our place in this world. Like the white squirrel, we must never forget that our future depends on our actions. We dont have to worry about being eaten, but we do have to worry about minimizing the affects the environment has on our mind and body. We have to make a decision each day to do what it takes to keep ourselves well, both mentally and physically.
We know that smoking, using drugs, being overweight and drinking too much alcohol are dangerous and will bring about an early death. But the problem is that all these can ease the stress of day to day living. A healthy life has to begin with mental health. We have to view our life as worth living, before we can be proactive about keeping ourselves alive as long as possible. That worth living concept has a term, Happiness. Happiness is vital, and it takes courage to make the changes needed in order to achieve that magic state of mind.
The first step forward on the path that will lead you to happiness is to take personal responsibility for your life. Then take a good look at your current situation. Are you working a job you hate? In a marriage that is failing? Living payday to payday and in fear of something happening that will send you over the edge? I could mention countless undesirable situations here, but they all share common solutions. Make a list with your most pressing concerns first and working down to issues that are just irritating. Now look at that most unpleasant situation and decide what it is that makes it so. Now go to the next situation and on down the list and document what about each issue is making it stressful. Its a good idea to get your significant other involved as well. Chances are pretty good that if youre not happy neither are they.
This list making will allow you to evaluate your own situation and what makes you uncomfortable. Im willing to bet that most of what you have on the list concerns: finances, feeling that you are not in control, lack of personal time, your relationship with spouse, family, friends and co workers or health issues. Changing some of these situations will turn out to be easier than you imagined, and others will require you to make changes to your own thinking. A bit of fear facing will be involved and that to will probably turn out to be less difficult than you expected. Most of your changes you can accomplish yourself, but some will require seeking advice from a helping agency. Dont be afraid to ask for help when youre not sure how to proceed. Your quest for happiness is too important not to use all available resources.
I went through this exercise myself when I turned fifty. The half century birthday is a time that many of us start looking at our lives and start evaluating and wishing we had taken some different paths or made some better choices. The top two issues on my list were my health and lack of personal time. The results of my personal evaluation lead me to: 1. Make a career change. 2. Start a regular exercise program again and 3. Stop smoking. Once I was happier, I started writing in order to share with others that there is always a way if you want it bad enough. I learned a valuable lesson as well. My hour to an hour and a half of regular exercise four times a week gave me a lot more time in my day. That might sound strange, but when you have more energy and endurance, you can accomplish so much more. You also dont need to rest so much from the slightest effort.
Taking responsibility means that, like that white squirrel, we must do what is required to survive. To do that, we must value our life and want badly to keep ourselves healthy and happy. When we are happy with our situation, we will do what is required, but when we are unhappy its hard to motivate ourselves to take action.
Thanks for reading.
Dave
