Sometimes our lives have fallen into such disrepair that we’re embarrassed to let anyone know how much rebuilding we need to do. But really, there’s no shame in the work of rebuilding our dilapidated lives. The shame would be in not doing so!
Tranquil things like peace and joy come not from rest but from struggle. The happy life is not the life of relaxation; it’s the life of conscience-driven labor. What we want is not the life of leisure but the life of “strife” (in the good sense)!
History indicates that persistence will pay off. On any given day, skirmishes may be lost here and there. But the finer things in this world come to those who move forward in confidence — confidence that what’s right is stronger than what’s wrong.
Discovery requires not only courage, but also faith. To be discoverers, we have to be willing to “see” some things before they can be seen! On some days, no new discovery will be “in sight,” and it’s on those days that we must keep our confidence up.
In the world around us, there is a great deal of abundance to be enjoyed even in the midst of seemingly scarce circumstances. The happiest folks in the world are those who have decided to live with an attitude of abundance rather than scarcity.
We need to remain open to authenticity, both in ourselves and in others. Just because something doesn’t glitter, that doesn’t mean it’s not gold. And real gold, even when it has a few impurities mixed in, is a better treasure than imitation gold.
Pride makes us unteachable. As Winston Churchill said, “I am always ready to learn, but I do not always like being taught.” So we need to put our pride in its place and adopt the humility of those who are willing not only to learn but to be taught.
Sometimes the best we can do when contemplating the important things is to drink deeply of their meaning in our own minds. Indeed, the more closely we approach reverence, the less inclined we will be to speak. In the silence of awe, we will listen.
We all pay lip service to loyalty. But if the truth be told, we’re not as loyal as we should be. Too often, we fail to follow through. We fail to keep promises. We back out of inconvenient commitments. And our lives are damaged by this disloyalty.
The main thing to decide is not where to invest this or that resource that we possess; it’s where to invest our lives as a whole. We’re surrounded by choices, some of which are quite deadly. So invest your life — but think twice before you do it.
