Ashes, Ashes, We all Fall Down
There are many aspects of our life that we learn later on where others learn very early. For example, in High School some may feel invincible only to later learn that is far from the case. These type of experiences shape who we are as a person, father, grandfather and even husband. Like my own example, it wasn't until I turned 23 that I realized what it meant to be happy. I suppose I always knew, but never truly acted upon it. Boy, am I happy I finally did something about it - adjust the attitude. That simple. We can still set the bar really high for ourselves and expect big things but it should be attainable. When the bar is unreachable, adjustments are made to eventually reach that bar. Oh, and when life happens, there isn't a dang thing we can do about it. Ashes, ashes, we all fall down.....but it doesn't have to be forever.
In order to truly be happy we need to recognize that none of us are perfect and we never will be. Every fleeting week will be filled with good and bad days. How you handle any one of those days ultimately determines the outcome. Let's face it, we have all been there - a long day at work, a lot to get done and seemingly very little time. Day after day, this can begin to weigh heavily on anybody but we can rest assured that there is always someone who has it worse.
A lot worse. Reality can be kept in check with "perspective" - from some of our vantage points, it may seem like our life is ending. In many cases, this is not the case, especially compared to those whose lives are really nearing the end.
If you know someone who is able to get out of life alive, let me know because that is one for the history books. Unless you know something I don't, none of us get out of this life alive so treat every experience as if it is your last. Cliché, I know. But it's true. We can remind ourselves (and others) that our daily life is not dictated by what we don't do or what we do, do. It is dictated by why we do it. 'Purpose' is not always as important in the moment but it really counts when we fall down [Ashes, ashes, we all fall down] - we all have those moments. We often perceive that close loved ones will perceive our actions negatively, having a lasting impression. This might be true but does that really matter when there is a more powerful tool available to us? The most powerful statement someone can make is the way in which they pick themselves up, learn form the mistake(s) and move on. In other words, worry less about failing and more about how to get back up if failure is encountered. It is the latter which people will see and define the character.
As we get into the week, we can all hold our heads up high and do the best damn job we know how. There might be folks out there missing the 'purpose' part of the equation but thats OK (for now) - at least that is something that can be dealt with in a number of ways that we will address in future posts. Getting knocked down is only one step backwards, all of us are capable of two steps forward - progress. Trust me when I say, happiness is attainable. Remember to SMILE.
Ashes, ashes, we all fall down! [Time To Get Back Up].
Cheers!
JD
