Hang On To What’s Working, Let Go Of What Isn’t…

“As I grow to understand life less and less, I learn to live it more and more.”

Jules Renard

I’ve Been Thinking . . . about what it takes to make sure that I am maximizing the possibilities of every moment I’m alive.

Thornton Wilder’s Our Town has a graveyard scene where those who have died are looking back at their lost opportunities. Emily, a young mother who has just died in childbirth, gets a chance to go back in time as an observer at her twelfth birthday. She is astounded by how fast everything is going and how little time there is to enjoy relationships and the little things that mean so much. As she comes back to her grave she says, “I can’t go on. It goes so fast. We don’t have time to look at one another. . . . Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it? -- every, every minute?”

That is a provocative question. “Do human beings ever realize life while they live it?” Life is moving at a breakneck speed. If only we could see ahead before we get there to know how life is going to work out. Would it change the way we live now?

What are you doing in your life right now that works? What doesn't work? Are you doing enough of the things that work to move you closer to where you want to be tomorrow? Are you moving forward, standing still, or just spinning in a circle?

It takes a lot of effort not to become a victim of you. Take full responsibility for your life. Make choices that move you closer to where you want to be. Quit doing those things that don't work. Refrain from sitting around with your fingers crossed hoping things will get better. They won't. Not that way. Take full responsibility even for your moments of irresponsibility.

Decide if you want your life to become all that it can be or just a fraction of the possibilities. It's your choice. Take responsibility. Do more than exist - live. Do more than casually look around - observe the fullness of life. Do more than hear people speak -listen for wisdom, ideas and feelings. Seek to find all that can enrich your daily experiences.

People stuck on bemoaning their lives make a big mistake. They often think people who are really living have a lot more excitement to inspire them. Wrong! They are indulged in mundane activities, have to pay for their groceries, and work to meet the mortgage. In fact, their toilets get clogged and their roofs leak. Their children are not angels and bugs splatter against their windshield. They get holes in the bottom of their shoe soles and cavities in their teeth.

So what's the difference? They keep doing more of what causes them to live above the ordinary.

So, is your life working? If so, keep doing what works and find more ways to do it. If not, accept conditions as they exist or accept responsibility for doing something about it.

Your attitude toward this process is one of the most important statements you can make about yourself and the kind of life you want. It is not possible to give someone else responsibility but it is possible to relinquish control to circumstances, people and external sources.

Whether we like it or not, we are responsible. The key question is, “What are we going to do about it?”

Your future need not be a repeat of your past. If your life has been filled with scarcity, competition, or disappointment that’s no reason to convince yourself that your future can’t be different.

Past relationships been a bit shaky? Then invest in present relationships the positive qualities and expectations you want future relationships to possess.

Your career has been a drag? What are you investing in it and mentally expecting from it? Step outside of your present position and see what it could become and determine what additional value you can offer.

What are you doing to take charge of your life? Who else is better qualified? You are the lead actor. Are you living by the values you profess? Are your personal priorities given the attention they deserve? If so, you are tapping into an inexhaustible energy source that will help you sustain an energetic, vital and significant life.

Eliminate investing your energies into complaining, anger, resentment or criticism. Evaluate the unproductive habits, routines, and activities that fill your day. Hang on to what works and let go of what isn’t working. It’s your choice. Everything you do in life is by choice. What have you chosen that you feel is right? What changes will you make in future choices?

“You are always only one choice away from changing your life.”

Marcy Blochowiak