By Gail Supplee Tatum, Columnist, The Times
If there is one thing we all should have learned in the last two years is that life is short, life is precious and life is unpredictable, where you never know what each day will bring.
The lessons I present every month are as much for me as they are for you, my readers. However, some topics hit me harder, like this one. It has more impact and relevance, in a deeper way, getting to the core of what life is all about.
Spring is in full bloom and just like the flowers, we too can open up to our own awakening, a breaking through, if you will, like the cracking open of a seed that’s ready to burst and break through the ground to become vibrant and alive.
As I approach the last few months of being a sexagenarian and look ahead towards the next decade, I find myself, not thinking that I’m “getting old” but, instead, thinking about all I have yet to accomplish. This mindset, if practiced, helps to keep a youthful spirit.
“Better every day” is my mantra. In fact, that’s the mission statement of one of my mentors, Darren Hardy. He has daily messages to ponder on, Monday through Friday. He has written many books and has a podcast, as well. If you’re interested, google his name and you’ll find how to connect with him on any of the platforms I’ve mentioned.
Even if you think you don’t need betterment, I can tell you, you do, we all do.
How do we get better? Here are a few ways that help me.
- Know who you are and be who you are, always. Be yourself – not your idea of what you think somebody else’s idea of yourself should be. Henry David Thoreau
- Know your heart. Live your life from your heart. Share from your heart and your story will touch and heal people’s souls. Melody Beattie
- Adjust your thoughts. Make sure they are congruent with the life that you want to live and that you surround yourself with the people who support you and who you want to live life with.
- Honor your life. Know that you deserve good things to happen in your life. Be open to them when they are revealed to you. Say thank you to the universe when it happens, and it will happen, over and over.
- Actions speak loudly. Extend a helping hand wherever you see the need. The time, love, encouragement and support you sow through your actions, you will reap, ten-fold. It is so much more rewarding to give than to receive.
- Discover your gifts to share with the world. This takes time and it all starts with knowing who you are. The earlier you discover who you are and what your purpose is, the longer you’ll have to enjoy the fruits of that realization. I am having these honest, sincere and thought-provoking conversations with my grandchildren early and often to give them a head start to their self-discovery.
- Don’t stop until you’re proud. That means you never stop! You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream. – C.S. Lewis
We only have a lifetime and it’s not long enough, so make it count.
This world is but a canvas for our imagination. – Henry David Thoreau
