The Good Life

“The good life is when you wake up in the morning and can’t wait to start all over again.”

Some Smart Person

I’ve Been Thinking. . . about the Good Life.

Some things never change. What day of the year did I always wake up early as a kid? Christmas Morning! I loved Christmas morning!

Why?

Dah! Presents.

When I went to bed Christmas Eve I knew tomorrow was going to be a great day. I believed, without a doubt, my parents had found the perfect present for me and I couldn’t wait to unwrap it to see what it was. Positive anticipation prompted me out of bed.

How does the Christmas morning experience compare to the way you woke up this morning? What does Christmas morning have to do with living the good life?

What if we viewed each new day as a specially selected gift for us to unwrap and discover? We might be on to something.

Let me draw from the wisdom of a few wise people to provide a glimpse of what might help us experience the Good Life. Mark Twain lamented, “I can teach anybody how to get what they want out of life. The problem is that I can’t find anybody who can tell me what they want.”

How true Mr. Twain! It would be a lot easier to achieve what you want out of life if you knew what it was you wanted. If you get up in the morning excited about starting all over again; Congratulations! If you’re looking to drag your way through another day; my condolences!

Figure out what you want and you’re well on your way to the Good Life.

I thoroughly enjoyed watching Payne Stewart play golf. His flamboyant outfits, highlighted by knickers along with his equally flamboyant personality, complimented by his passion for the game endeared many fans. Payne definitely stood out from the norm. So did his attitude about life.

He’s my next wise person. Payne once reflected: “I’m going to a special place when I die, but I want to make sure my life is special while I’m here.”

I once heard someone describe their life like this: “Each day is just yesterday warmed up!” Same old people. Same old problems. Same old work. All just disguised a little differently than the day before. That is not the kind of ‘special’ Payne Stewart was referring to.

There is a mental, emotional, physical and spiritual aptitude difference between each day being ‘special’ and yesterday’s leftovers ‘reheated’. The best part is . . . we get to determine what our aptitude will be.

Choose carefully.

Roger Dawson is my next wisdom contributor. “Good things don’t happen to you. Bad things don’t happen to you. Life is what happens to you. The more you examine the events in your life and categorize them into good things and bad things, the more messed up you’re going to become.”

Life isn’t good! Life isn’t bad! Life is life! Stuff happens!

One day, Joe came home from work and his wife greeted him with a passionate hug and warm kiss. “I’ve got good news and bad news,” she said as they ended the embrace.

Joe swallowed hard and suggested she give him the good news first.

His wife managed a slight smile as she said, “the good news is, the air bag works.”

Indifferent. Unfortunate. Blessing. Travesty. Glorious. This is a sampling of the adjectives we could use to describe the events in our life. Instead, look at them for what they are – events, and then determine ways to use them to shape your destiny.

Circumstances do not determine the Good Life or lack of it. Capitalize on the knowledge, insight and wisdom gained from these valuable experiences as a springboard to thinking about how you want things to be.

Ruth Boorstin reminded us, “Our days are identical suitcases – all the same size – but some people pack more into them than others.”

Pack your suitcase with good life ‘stuff.’

“The good life, as I conceive it, is a happy life. I do not mean that if you are good you will be happy; I mean that if you are happy you will be good.”

Bertrand Russell