Never Take Your Life for Granted
If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours. -Henry Thoreau
Never take your life for granted! No matter how much you think you are in control of your life, forget about it! Three weeks ago I was on top of the world, I thought I was Superman. Business was cruising; I had recently increased my workouts; I was sticking to my 2085 calories per day, had dropped 9 lbs, and had achieved 12% body fat. Nothing could stop me!
Then from nowhere, I got a staph infection in my leg, it got so bad I could hardly walk. Just when I thought I was getting this infection under control, boom! My right eye goes blurry and I see black spots in front of my eye. I rush to see an Ophthalmologist. I was diagnosed with a torn retina. That same day I go into surgery for a detached retina. Now I’m a one-eyed bandit with a pirate eye patch, not allowed to work-out for two weeks. Bummer! This is a really big deal for me. All the fun stuff I had lined up had to be cancelled. No Alaskan fishing trip with all my mates, no Franchise convention in Florida on a cruise, with all our friends. With a gas bubble in my eye holding the retina in place, there can be no flying for 6 weeks. So much for thinking I was in control of my life!
Being in this situation has sure been a lesson in letting go. I can’t see well with my bad left eye, and can’t drive. I have to be ferried around by family and friends. Everyone and everything is blurry. Suddenly the importance of your health for even the most basic activities, takes on a new level of importance. Relying on others is a learning experience for me.
On Sunday, a person I really respect and whom has affected my life, Dr. Wayne Dyer, left his physical body to continue his spiritual journey at age 75. I recently listened to an interview Anthony Robbins did with Wayne and here are some of his very simple life principles we can all reflect on in our life today:
1. There are no accidents, there are only lessons. No matter how hard we think our life is, take the lessons and grow
2. Your mindset is your reality. It’s how you see things. If you choose to focus on what’s not working then that’s how you will see your life
3. The difference between successful people and unsuccessful people is how they see life’s lessons. The successful people see the good, what’s working and move forward
4. Our body is just a place holder for our sole. We are spiritual beings having a human experience
5. Life teaches us what we like and dislike. Decide early to say “no” to what you dislike.
6. The measure of your life will not be in what you acquire, you can’t take it with you. The purpose of life is to give and enrich each other. Ask yourself how I may be of service, not what’s in it for me
7. The real purpose in life is to be happy and to enjoy your life. Stop waiting to get some place before you can be happy
8. Change your thoughts, change your life. Let go and allow. You become what you think about all day long
9. Your reputation is not in your hands; don’t worry about what people think, you will have 1000 reputations. All you can do is control your character.
10. Laugh at yourself; don’t take yourself so darn seriously. You are not that important
11. Don’t let an old person enter your body. Stay healthy of mind and body. (Wayne ran 8 miles every day for the past 20 years)
12. Built in all good fortune is misfortune and built into all misfortune is good fortune
13. Our single greatest gift is our imagination. Everything on this planet was once an idea. No one can take your dreams away. You are but one thought away from changing your life
I don’t know what lessons will show up for me with what’s happened over the past month in my life, but I am open to the possibility that something great is just round the corner. I’ll keep you posted.
Here’s to another month of lessons to be learned.
Until next time,
Ralph