Thursday
“We have two lives, and the second begins when we realize we only have one.” Confucius
Life is a journey, the direction and magnitude of which are created at the level of each individual.
Determine what it is that you want to achieve with your life. That simply requires a close self-inspection, for you have known from the youngest age what it is that you want to achieve. Then, with all your energy and courage, set out to achieve it. Don’t compromise; don’t accept second-best, don’t take your eyes of the goal.
Only you can measure your success. It is not that no one else’s opinion matters, for sometimes they do. It is just that you cannot afford to be swayed by them.
The secret to life is to have a purpose and to honestly, intelligently, enthusiastically and courageously pursue it.
A part of that pursuit is to not only acknowledge the right of others to pursue their purpose but, when appropriate, to assist them in such endeavours.
Becoming famous is not a purpose; it is a delusion. No one is famous for more than a few decades. Even on that rare occasion when the name lives on beyond the person’s death, it is usually an invalid memory. The longer that the person has been dead, the less that the memory accords with who they really were. Fame is a trite and trivial goal and you can do better – much better. When you are dead, you are soon forgotten. Get over it. Fame is not what it is about.
Each person needs to make sufficient money to finance the attainment of their purpose. Reserves are good, but don’t end up saving up to die. Making money is an important step, usually a prerequisite, toward achieving your purpose, but it can never be the purpose itself. To act in accordance with that delusion would be to depart the mortal coil deeply disappointed. Money is not what it is about.
You can achieve anything that you want – anything, as long as you do not demand the credit and plaudits for doing so.
There will come a time of judgement and you alone will be the judge of whether or not your life has been a success. Don’t blow it.