The Book Of Life

Life is choices, and we all make decisions as we go along. Which path will we take when the fork in the road appears? How do you know if the choice you make will be the right one? Or in thirty years will you look back and wonder “What If”!

There are two sayings from the book that cover some of life’s experiences; one is “The school of hard knocks never ends and Good judgment comes from experience and Experience comes from bad judgment.” How do you learn to make the right choices from the beginning? Where can you go to find your way? Is there a simple answer or is it some dark secret that no one will share?

Life comes at you from all sides and the ride can be wild and scary. Here are some tips from the “Book on Life” that will help you if you give them a try. Life is not easy but it can be a lot of fun. Remember it’s not the destination but the JOURNEY that counts!

Believe in Yourself! Know that you can do anything you set your mind too. If you have an idea of what you want to be, then go for it. There is no reason that you can’t attain your goal. Excuses will always be out there to use, but commitment and desire will keep you on the right path.

Give Back! Helping others and doing more than you are asked will come back 10 fold. People look for the good, and when they see it they reward those who give. Going out of your way to help someone young or old will give you pleasure.

Find Strength Within! You know right from wrong, good from evil, trust in the Lord. There will be times when there is no one you can turn to; at that time you need to “Let go and Let God”. You need to know that you do not stand alone.

Forgive! It is easy to hate, but when you do you’ll carry a millstone around your neck. It is easy to become obsessed with a person or persons who have done wrong in your eyes. Your mind never lets you forget what happened. Forgive and move on because times a wasting.

Covet! Someone will always have more than you. Weather it’s a better job, position, car or house. Learn to be happy with where you are, and work within that frame work to better yourself. Wanting to have what the other person has will leave you feeling empty.

Politics! The saying goes “It’s not what you know but who you know!” In corporate America that seems to be true. When working within the structure of a big company, it is best to do your best but make friends with people in power. When you’re looked on in a favorable light you will be raised up by these people. There are different ways of looking at this, some say you’re kissing ass, but I always found that if I did more than what was asked it came back to me in a positive way. You don’t have to suck up to do your job, and still gain points.

Priorities! What do you want? Are you alone or do you have a family? You want to provide, but sometimes that can become anchor. Most companies don’t say you have to put in x amount of hours. In your mind you want to do your best and so whatever it takes you do. Eight hours can become Ten, Twelve or Fourteen. You can loose sight of what is really important, and that is family. They need you and you need them. It takes a lot of work to put them first in this corporate world but believe me you’ll miss out on more if you don’t.

The Unexpected! You never know where it will come from and in a snap of the finger your life has changed. Weather it is a death in the family, an illness, loss of a job or whatever. It is devastating and you don’t know how you will get through. If your lucky and have family around that cares they will open there doors and hearts and give you that helping hand. There will be decisions that you must make and they will be life altering for not only you but your wife and kids. No one can make them for you, though you can seek help from the family and your church family if you have one. I don’t wish this on anyone and there is no easy way to make it all go away, you just have to deal with it.

If you refer to page 49 of the book you will find the chapter on forks in the road. You usually have several choices and you live by the one you make. You shouldn’t regret your choices but when you look back after many years you will see that “What If” screams out at some of the forks. Is thinking about the road not traveled worth the journey? One never knows if “what if” could ever have happened.

You’ve lived your life the best that you could, there is no second guessing what you’ve done. You did what you had to and that made you who you are. Look in the mirror and know that who you see is a good guy/girl who gave it their best shot.