A Church Service with a Smile and A Bigger Picture

 One Sunday morning, the minister noticed young Ben standing in the church foyer, staring intently at a large plaque on the wall.

It was covered with names and flanked by small American flags on either side.

The six-year-old had been gazing at it for quite a while, so the minister walked over, stood beside him, and said softly,

"Good morning, Ben."

"Good morning, Pastor," Ben replied, his eyes still glued to the plaque.

"Pastor, what is this?" he asked.

The minister responded, "Well, son, it's a memorial to all the young men and women who died in the service."

They stood in respectful silence, gazing at the plaque. Finally, Ben's voice, barely above a whisper and trembling, asked,

"Which service... the 8:00 or the 10:00?"


Moral of the story

Sometimes, we get so caught up in the details that we forget the bigger picture. Ben's innocent question brought the minister back to reality, reminding him that the true meaning of the memorial was being overshadowed by trivial matters.

Stay focused on what truly matters and not to get bogged down by the minutiae of life. So, the next time you find yourself lost in the details, take a step back and remember the bigger picture. It might just put things into perspective.

WHY are you not making your hobby or passion your source of income?

 From the same article I mentioned in another post, this screenshot. I am a huge advocate that people should only do a job they have a passion for, preferably self-employed. Why would anyone want to spend 8 or more hours every day, plus another hour or two on the road to work, out of 16 hours awake, when one can rather do what you love?

When I become president of the world, I'll make it compulsory for everyone over 18 to have their skills and passions tested. It is astonishing, but if you ask a 100 people what their dream job is, they'll tell you it's not their current job. Why on earth are they not following their own passions, and rather that of someone else that do?

Anything can be monetized, and an income derived from, but the problem is, most people are afraid of themselves. They don't do introspection, and they shy away from analyzing their own strengths and weaknesses. Do yourself a favor: Invest in yourself. Get to know yourself. Ask yourself some uncomfortable questions, like: What is my one big dream? Where exactly do I want to be over exactly five years from now? And what is my exact plan and steps to get there? 99% of people cannot answer these basic questions clearly and on the spot. Can you?

 

Determine your own timeline to accomplish goals

 This meme is pretty much a cliché these days. Everyone has seen it all over social media. It's true that one should not focus on age when accomplishing something.

The British actor Michael Caine bought his first car at age 35, being too broke before then. And he did it with some sweet revenge, too. He went to a Bentley dealership in ordinary clothes, right after getting his pay check for his first breakthrough movie.
The salesman treated him like dirt. Then he went over to the Rolls-Royce dealership across the road, where a salesman had some good manners. An hour or three later, Caine pulled out in a new Rolls-Royce, then he circled the block, honking each time he passed the Bentley dealership. Let this motivate you to go make a movie.

 

Do as a clock and keep going

Don't give up. Turn your ultimate dream into a goal by adding a date to it, type out the steps to get there, and start doing it. Don't quit. Balance your attention between the small steps and the big goal, and keep working that plan. Occasionally adjust the steps, but keep your passion for your goal, and work your plan.

Confront your fears today, do what you are scared to do

 

Fear is your only real enemy. That's why people don't follow the advice on the meme. People fall into a comfort zone, even when they hate it and their circumstances, and they get trapped for years. They enjoy the parts of an inconvenient journey, without having a plan to get out of that comfort zone.

Get up and make things happen

 

Wow. Harsh, I say. Unfortunately, true. If you don't have a real partner that really loves you, you'll only have yourself to get through every crisis. Many that pretend to be friends are only after what they can get out of you, the party times, and all secretly hoping to get laid for a one-night-stand. They are the ones that disappear into thin air the day you really need them. Don't let their smooth words fool you, look at their actions, how they treated others before. When the fancy wears off, that's how they will treat you, too. Save yourself by making the right decisions, and make things work out for you. Have a dream, add a date to make it a goal, draw up a plan with detailed steps, and work that plan.

You are not getting another life

 'nuff said. I don't know how old you, my valued reader is, but I do know that you will never again be as young as you are today. Don't wait till it is too late, to start finishing off your bucket list. Do you even have a bucket list? Goals? Dreams? A clearly typed out plan with daily steps? You are your own biggest investment, or liability. Choose wisely. Make your life worth living. Take risks. Take that leap of faith in yourself and the one you love. 

Destination addiction spoils happiness along the journey

This meme is deep. One has to have a clear, big goal, and several smaller ones called steps. But to only focus on that big goal means one misses the enjoyment of getting there, the journey, accomplishing the small goals.

At the same time, one cannot only focus on the journey, because if you take your eyes off the big goal too long, you start taking shortcuts, or loses focus, or loses your passion to really live.

You should be afraid of your comfort zone, especially when you're unhappy there. There is no real growth in a comfort zone. Eventually you'll adapt to it, stagnates, and never be really happy. That is a life unlived.

Have a big goal, many small steps, and celebrate each step along the journey to that one big goal. And do not let fear, insecurity, uncertainty, or a lack of faith distract you. Push on, stick it out, and great things are guaranteed to happen.

Get a cause, identify a goal, live for something!

Have one big goal. Choose one worthy cause. Pick your passion, something you really love. Make it your work, your source of income. Your passion will get you to become an expert, thus adding value to other people's lives. Live for something, or someone. Yes, you can live for someone, take that leap of faith, and invest your energy and love into someone or something. But, live life. Leave a legacy of passion.

What are you without your dreams?

 I regularly ask people what their dreams are. Disappointingly enough, many have no real dreams, just some vague castles in the sky. Others, that do have more defined dreams, have no plan to get to it. Which means, they will just never get anywhere, they are ships without rudders that get pushed to where others with plans push them to.

One cannot reach a dream, only a goal. And for that, one needs to have a plan typed out with all the steps, tied to dates, and to work that plan. But how many people that you know do it? Winners in society all have a plan typed out, that they review daily, before tackling the steps in there. Do the same.

Without a dream, that you convert into clear goals, and with firm steps to get to it, what empty life is that? It inevitably leads to tremendous regret later in life. Don't be scared, go sit down and write down where you want to be over exactly 5 years from today, and you'll be surprised how many people cannot even do this. They are scared of themselves, and you may be the same. But you can change that, just start working on a goal + plan right now.