Life is a journey - not a destination. Would you agree
with that simple statement? If you understand that all humans are on a
journey through life; I will use the metaphor of the "Road of Life" for our collective life journey and online business ideas.
The Road of Life is the main Freeway we all use to go from day to day, yet we all had our own On ramp to the main roadway, which is when you were born, as well as an Exit ramp, for when you pass through.
Like most long distance highways, The Road of Life is not a straight one. In many cases depending on what day it is, the roadway can be twisty, curvy, full of construction zones, and detours. Our lives go through rhythms, sometimes we are up, and sometimes we are down. Ultimately we hope to find a balance within these energies as we strive to have more good days than bad.
On the Road of Life, there are three kinds of people - Those that make things happen, those that watch things happen, and those that "wonder" what happened.
Let's go one step further since I want to place those three different people on the Road of Life. The person making things happen is the Driver. The one watching things happen is the Passenger. The one that wonders what happened is the Back Seat Driver.
The Driver is the only one in control of the vehicle with control of the key to start the car, the gas and brake pedals and the steering wheel.
The Passenger is being driven in the vehicle and obviously has no control of where they are being driven. They truly are the watcher, as they stare out of the vehicle's windows en route to their destination.
The Back Seat Driver is noticeably not in control of the vehicle, yet consistently tries to drive from their vantage point in the back seat.
Once we reach adulthood, we are left to answer the basic question, which of these three people do I fit the closest? Am I the Driver, the only one in control of where I am going? or am I just a watcher, the passenger on my personal road of life?
I won't even discuss the Back Seat Driver, as they have no control of where they are going and sadly go through life, complaining about everything that does not meet their expectations.
The point being made is unless you choose to be responsible for your own vehicle on the road of life; your chances for long term success and happiness are affected in some capacity.
We are all traveling on the road of life, every day, day to day. Some days are great and some have their issues. That statement is Life personified, yet we have the ability to choose how we tackle each day, which can make distinct difference in the outcome.
Drivers typically are mentally acute, have their eyes wide open, and understand that the best course of action is a straight line between two points and make adjustments on the fly as they go down the road.
All we have control of in life is the moment. This very moment I am speaking to you, because the old cliché' which I used to use quite a bit got old and didn't make sense any more was, "Today is the first day of the rest of your life?" It is true semantically, but look at the time - half the day is already gone. You cannot get it back. And everything you have done today until this very moment is exactly what I said earlier - just another memory.
The present moment is the only reality we really can bank on and reality changes every second. There is POWER in the present moment.
So what is tomorrow? It is strictly an expectation and only that. No one can guarantee us that we will be here tomorrow. All we can do is hope. I believe that what we do today sets up tomorrow. If we SLACK on today, we have to take what comes. But if we are focused and diligent on what we want to happen tomorrow, guess what, it probably will come closer to happening then just waiting for something to happen.
I use the example for presentation purposes, that the Road of Life's journey is 100 years. The average age in the U.S. for passing through is 77.7 years, but I like to think positively and know that if I have taken care of my car, 100 years of age is a reasonable expectation.
On the Road of Life we are trained and formally educated for the first 20 plus years. If you completed your education by going through the school system and graduating with your high school diploma, you would be on the average around 18 years of age. If you attend and graduate from college, you will graduate with your basic Bachelor's degree in around 4 to 5 years. Add these all up and you are looking at a person approximately 23 to 24 years of age, supporting my statement that the first large section of the Road of Life is all about the preparation needed to secure a skill, a trade, or even a job.
The next phase of your Road of Life, beyond education, is your years of earning potential. Your earning potential starts after your education is secured and builds momentum through your fifties. This is the second large chunk of time on the Road of life. We still plan and focus on being financially secure by the time we are able to retire, which in this country is around 70. I know some people have retired earlier and today many people based on the poor economic status of our country are now looking at working until they pass through.
Priorities and Goals change on the Road of Life, supporting the fact that the Road of life is not a straight one. We can never lose sight of the fact that the Road of Life is consistently moving us forward. We cannot go back, not even a second; to change what already took place. Our only direction is forward, giving us the opportunity to make tomorrow better than today. Bottom line your decisions alter the Road of Life.
Choice has ramifications, some decisions turn out good and some deliver unexpected outcomes. It is all about adjusting to the road conditions in front of your eyes. If the roadway is slick, snowy and icy, we know we have to put on snow chains. If the road is slick and wet, we know we need to slow down.
The Road of Life continues moving us forward, one day at a time. We have to make the most of today, as it sets up tomorrow. If you take care of today to best ability, tomorrow will take care of itself. Today is about accepting Responsibility for your Road of Life. Even though there are other drivers on the same roadway, the Road of Life, it is ultimately up to us as individuals to make the right choices as we move down the Road of Life.
If I were to expand on what we can do differently on our path through life, it would be about creating Change that will bring the tomorrow that you want. The Road of Life is about new fresh information being presented daily, information that can help you Re-invent yourself. This acceptance will allow you to become the person you want to be, the person you were meant to be. If you are going to sail through your Road of Life, you are going to have to evaluate many factors that affect what is happening to you as you travel through life.
Take a hard look at your reality and become acutely aware of what is working and what is not. Make adjustments as necessary to smooth out the roadway. Everything is perception and ultimately each person's perception varies greatly based on their life filters. These filters were initially set in place in our childhood and continue to change with all the new information that we receive daily.
Accept complete responsibility for yourself. As an adult, you cannot blame anyone but yourself for what your day looks like and what the outcome will be. When you look into a mirror, you are the only person staring back at yourself. The mirror is your reality. Accept it for what it is and know that your decisions will directly affect your outcome.
Create change within yourself. Once you realize and understand what segment of the Road of Life you are traveling through such as the education years, it will allow more adjustment for necessary changes so that tomorrow's travel becomes easier.
Get out of your comfort zone. Your Comfort Zone is measured typically by the income you make, the people you surround yourself with, the car you drive, the house or apartment you live in, as these are all manifestations of what you represent to everyone else. While it is hard to just jump out, do it slowly.
Change one thing, see a result and then try it on another challenge. I have made the point that change is one of the hardest things to make happen. By nature, as human beings, we are tied to a word called homeostasis, which makes the case that as humans we generally come back to our soft, warm cocoon, our Comfort Zone, even after making changes. Look at a smoker. I have seen countless smokers take the plunge and either quit cold turkey or slowly wean themselves off. Unfortunately, because of homeostasis, they are back smoking soon after their decision to quit the nasty habit. It takes will power, discipline and hard work to make even small changes, but the point being made is that we can change... with the intent and dedication we pour into the task.
Become the person you want to be. We all landed here exactly the same way, naked and exposed to the world. No one landed here with Winner stamped on their forehead. I find it interesting that the only two fears that a baby is born with are the fear of falling and the fear of loud noises. Every other thing that we learn and become is based on your life programming. If you understand that statement, the point is made that all of us can re-program or change. It is the responsibility of every person to be so plugged in that they know what needs done for the next day's travel
Relax and reduce the mounting stress. We are literally bombarded daily with an intense amount of information called message units. These units come into our minds through our conscious mind, our sub-conscious, the environment, and our senses. Today the white noise is deafening. All of this information, plus our job's requirements, our families, politics, you name it; add to the stress that we all feel more than ever before. Find a way to slow it down. On the Road of Life, you are not going to get there any faster. It is one day at a time. Slow it down and truly live for today. When tomorrow gets here, it will be Today, making every day of our lives today.
My purpose in using the metaphor of the Road of Life for our collective journey was to get you to understand how critical it is to live one day at a time. You cannot rush life. It comes on its own terms one day at a time. There is no other choice. By living one day at a time, tomorrow will take care of itself. With little to no training on how to travel down the Road of Life with purpose and a plan, many of you reading this article may say, I am too far along. I can't change. Don't despair. Follow the advice and take it one day at a time and see how the outcome will change, giving you more control of where you want to go. See where you want to go and always fall back on the statement, Visualization Creates Realization. What you see and feel is what your world will become... One day at a time.
The Road of Life is the main Freeway we all use to go from day to day, yet we all had our own On ramp to the main roadway, which is when you were born, as well as an Exit ramp, for when you pass through.
Like most long distance highways, The Road of Life is not a straight one. In many cases depending on what day it is, the roadway can be twisty, curvy, full of construction zones, and detours. Our lives go through rhythms, sometimes we are up, and sometimes we are down. Ultimately we hope to find a balance within these energies as we strive to have more good days than bad.
On the Road of Life, there are three kinds of people - Those that make things happen, those that watch things happen, and those that "wonder" what happened.
Let's go one step further since I want to place those three different people on the Road of Life. The person making things happen is the Driver. The one watching things happen is the Passenger. The one that wonders what happened is the Back Seat Driver.
The Driver is the only one in control of the vehicle with control of the key to start the car, the gas and brake pedals and the steering wheel.
The Passenger is being driven in the vehicle and obviously has no control of where they are being driven. They truly are the watcher, as they stare out of the vehicle's windows en route to their destination.
The Back Seat Driver is noticeably not in control of the vehicle, yet consistently tries to drive from their vantage point in the back seat.
Once we reach adulthood, we are left to answer the basic question, which of these three people do I fit the closest? Am I the Driver, the only one in control of where I am going? or am I just a watcher, the passenger on my personal road of life?
I won't even discuss the Back Seat Driver, as they have no control of where they are going and sadly go through life, complaining about everything that does not meet their expectations.
The point being made is unless you choose to be responsible for your own vehicle on the road of life; your chances for long term success and happiness are affected in some capacity.
We are all traveling on the road of life, every day, day to day. Some days are great and some have their issues. That statement is Life personified, yet we have the ability to choose how we tackle each day, which can make distinct difference in the outcome.
Drivers typically are mentally acute, have their eyes wide open, and understand that the best course of action is a straight line between two points and make adjustments on the fly as they go down the road.
All we have control of in life is the moment. This very moment I am speaking to you, because the old cliché' which I used to use quite a bit got old and didn't make sense any more was, "Today is the first day of the rest of your life?" It is true semantically, but look at the time - half the day is already gone. You cannot get it back. And everything you have done today until this very moment is exactly what I said earlier - just another memory.
The present moment is the only reality we really can bank on and reality changes every second. There is POWER in the present moment.
So what is tomorrow? It is strictly an expectation and only that. No one can guarantee us that we will be here tomorrow. All we can do is hope. I believe that what we do today sets up tomorrow. If we SLACK on today, we have to take what comes. But if we are focused and diligent on what we want to happen tomorrow, guess what, it probably will come closer to happening then just waiting for something to happen.
I use the example for presentation purposes, that the Road of Life's journey is 100 years. The average age in the U.S. for passing through is 77.7 years, but I like to think positively and know that if I have taken care of my car, 100 years of age is a reasonable expectation.
On the Road of Life we are trained and formally educated for the first 20 plus years. If you completed your education by going through the school system and graduating with your high school diploma, you would be on the average around 18 years of age. If you attend and graduate from college, you will graduate with your basic Bachelor's degree in around 4 to 5 years. Add these all up and you are looking at a person approximately 23 to 24 years of age, supporting my statement that the first large section of the Road of Life is all about the preparation needed to secure a skill, a trade, or even a job.
The next phase of your Road of Life, beyond education, is your years of earning potential. Your earning potential starts after your education is secured and builds momentum through your fifties. This is the second large chunk of time on the Road of life. We still plan and focus on being financially secure by the time we are able to retire, which in this country is around 70. I know some people have retired earlier and today many people based on the poor economic status of our country are now looking at working until they pass through.
Priorities and Goals change on the Road of Life, supporting the fact that the Road of life is not a straight one. We can never lose sight of the fact that the Road of Life is consistently moving us forward. We cannot go back, not even a second; to change what already took place. Our only direction is forward, giving us the opportunity to make tomorrow better than today. Bottom line your decisions alter the Road of Life.
Choice has ramifications, some decisions turn out good and some deliver unexpected outcomes. It is all about adjusting to the road conditions in front of your eyes. If the roadway is slick, snowy and icy, we know we have to put on snow chains. If the road is slick and wet, we know we need to slow down.
The Road of Life continues moving us forward, one day at a time. We have to make the most of today, as it sets up tomorrow. If you take care of today to best ability, tomorrow will take care of itself. Today is about accepting Responsibility for your Road of Life. Even though there are other drivers on the same roadway, the Road of Life, it is ultimately up to us as individuals to make the right choices as we move down the Road of Life.
If I were to expand on what we can do differently on our path through life, it would be about creating Change that will bring the tomorrow that you want. The Road of Life is about new fresh information being presented daily, information that can help you Re-invent yourself. This acceptance will allow you to become the person you want to be, the person you were meant to be. If you are going to sail through your Road of Life, you are going to have to evaluate many factors that affect what is happening to you as you travel through life.
Take a hard look at your reality and become acutely aware of what is working and what is not. Make adjustments as necessary to smooth out the roadway. Everything is perception and ultimately each person's perception varies greatly based on their life filters. These filters were initially set in place in our childhood and continue to change with all the new information that we receive daily.
Accept complete responsibility for yourself. As an adult, you cannot blame anyone but yourself for what your day looks like and what the outcome will be. When you look into a mirror, you are the only person staring back at yourself. The mirror is your reality. Accept it for what it is and know that your decisions will directly affect your outcome.
Create change within yourself. Once you realize and understand what segment of the Road of Life you are traveling through such as the education years, it will allow more adjustment for necessary changes so that tomorrow's travel becomes easier.
Get out of your comfort zone. Your Comfort Zone is measured typically by the income you make, the people you surround yourself with, the car you drive, the house or apartment you live in, as these are all manifestations of what you represent to everyone else. While it is hard to just jump out, do it slowly.
Change one thing, see a result and then try it on another challenge. I have made the point that change is one of the hardest things to make happen. By nature, as human beings, we are tied to a word called homeostasis, which makes the case that as humans we generally come back to our soft, warm cocoon, our Comfort Zone, even after making changes. Look at a smoker. I have seen countless smokers take the plunge and either quit cold turkey or slowly wean themselves off. Unfortunately, because of homeostasis, they are back smoking soon after their decision to quit the nasty habit. It takes will power, discipline and hard work to make even small changes, but the point being made is that we can change... with the intent and dedication we pour into the task.
Become the person you want to be. We all landed here exactly the same way, naked and exposed to the world. No one landed here with Winner stamped on their forehead. I find it interesting that the only two fears that a baby is born with are the fear of falling and the fear of loud noises. Every other thing that we learn and become is based on your life programming. If you understand that statement, the point is made that all of us can re-program or change. It is the responsibility of every person to be so plugged in that they know what needs done for the next day's travel
Relax and reduce the mounting stress. We are literally bombarded daily with an intense amount of information called message units. These units come into our minds through our conscious mind, our sub-conscious, the environment, and our senses. Today the white noise is deafening. All of this information, plus our job's requirements, our families, politics, you name it; add to the stress that we all feel more than ever before. Find a way to slow it down. On the Road of Life, you are not going to get there any faster. It is one day at a time. Slow it down and truly live for today. When tomorrow gets here, it will be Today, making every day of our lives today.
My purpose in using the metaphor of the Road of Life for our collective journey was to get you to understand how critical it is to live one day at a time. You cannot rush life. It comes on its own terms one day at a time. There is no other choice. By living one day at a time, tomorrow will take care of itself. With little to no training on how to travel down the Road of Life with purpose and a plan, many of you reading this article may say, I am too far along. I can't change. Don't despair. Follow the advice and take it one day at a time and see how the outcome will change, giving you more control of where you want to go. See where you want to go and always fall back on the statement, Visualization Creates Realization. What you see and feel is what your world will become... One day at a time.
James Hobart, an industry leader in the Professional Beauty
Industry for more than 40 years at every level, has certification in
hypnotherapy. His insight and experience have helped many companies and
individuals with their growth and development over the years. His book, Happiness Is Your Birthright, supports his philosophy on life and is a practical handbook to create positive change throughout one's life.
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http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=James_Hobart
