Never die clueless! Opt for ‘meaningful’
Apr 25th, 2008 by spaceagesage
As a housekeeper who once cleaned private homes in Aspen, Colorado, during the ’80s, I had a unique opportunity to learn a great deal about human nature. Some people tend to ignore the maid as if she isn’t even there; other people divulge the most amazing personal details of their lives.
One of the talkative housekeeping clients of mine was an older lady who lived alone with her ferrets. The woman spent her conversations with me bemoaning her personal life and wondering out loud why things had turned out so poorly. She didn’t know why her husband had divorced her, she didn’t know why her kids wouldn’t talk to her, and she didn’t know why her life was so empty. The last time I saw the lady, she had a soul-deep sadness behind her goodbye smile that tore at every fiber of my being.
Despite all that, she has been incredibly motivational to me. You see, when I realized this woman probably would die without ever finding the answers to her questions, I resolved this would not happen to me. I realized shallow, superficial living can be seductively easy, so I decided to motivate myself with a bumper sticker-like slogan: Never Die Clueless!
In making that happen I have tried to stick to some philosophies along the way:
- Know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I cannot change other people, only how I view them
- Realize I am only human after all and that I can cut my perfectionist self some slack
- Find and release any negative or self-limiting messages from my psyche
- Stop any aspect of the blame game toward myself or others
- Take personal responsibility for my health and well-being
- Uncover and release anger and resentment from my past
- Realize if I change my thoughts, I can change my life
- Find more positive and uplifting people to fill my life
- Toss regret, guilt, and self-pity out the window
- Focus more on being happy rather than right
- Find self-help books that actually help
- Read motivational literature
- Keep moving forward
POCKET-THOUGHT:
We can learn lessons and insight from other people either through their positive example – I want to be like them — or through their negative example – I never want to be like them. Either way allows us to learn the lessons the easy way, not the hard way, because we can see the results in their lives and make changes accordingly.
Do you have any bumper sticker-like messages you tell yourself to stay motivated or on track?
Great post. I find something positive in alot of movies and in books. One of my favorites is from “The Matrix”. Morpheus tells Neo during the training scene..”..your faster than this. Don’t THINK you are…KNOW you are”. Sometimes we have to re-engage on our past victories. If you have done it before, you can do it again. And if it is your first time, just remember that nothing is impossibe and that your alot better than you think.
Leave out the negative, smile, and you can do anything!
inspiredminds — Thanks for the comment! The Matrix is filled with wonderful metaphors and insights. As a martial artist and as a writer, I found it a most thought-generating film.