Most people go the same distance in life. It’s just that a lot of them spend a lot of time going in circles. And if circles are what float your boat then that is fine. Personal choice and all that. But was it a conscious choice? The best choice? Could you have made a lot more of your life with just a smidgeon more foresight? A tiny bit more focus? Just a little more direction? A tad more reflection?
Many people look back on their lives with regret, counting the “might have beens,” wondering what they could have done if they had just dared a bit more, planned a bit better. While material success and worldly accomplishments are certainly a part of what we are talking about, there is much more to life. Did you contribute as much as you would have liked? Did you live a life of significance? Did you continue to grow and mature each and every year of your life? Did you wrestle out all the wisdom and lessons from the experiences life sent your way? Did you give more than you took? Did you make a difference?
I recently experienced a “half” birthday. I use half birthdays and even quarter birthdays as milestones to trigger a quiet time of reflection. I look back upon the prior 3 or 6 months and ask myself if I have been true to myself, if I have been my best self, if I am a better person than I was or at least in some way bettered the world or the lives of those around me.
You cannot hit a target you cannot see, you must look where you want to go, what you focus on expands, energy follows thought. If want to make the most of the gifts you have been given, using half and quarter birthdays as personal accountability checkpoints is a high leverage activity toward that goal.
Closing Quotes:
“The purpose of life is to live a life on purpose.”
“The meaning of life is not a question we ask of life but a question life asks of us.” — Victor Frankl, “Man’s Search for Meaning”
“To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift.” — Steve Prefontaine, American runner, inspired running boom in the 1970s, died in 1975 at age 24 in a car accident