Tuesday, April 8, 2014

This is Life

A topic in group last night was how difficult it is to make changes in our lives.

One man was having challenges quitting smoking. Another spends his free time playing video games or watching television, something he'd thought of changing. Yet another, a diabetic, was struggling with his diet.

What is the magical quality, the magic ingredient that gets us on fire? How do we shuck our bad habits? Is it only pain that makes us change? I have no answer.

Most of these addicts have known for a long time about the challenges they are facing. Yet their common mantra is that "it's hard to change." And indeed it is.

My common response is that this moment is not a dress rehearsal for life. This is life. And each moment we waste is gone forever. If we don't use this moment wisely then we’re wasting our lives.

Does that mean we have to spend all our time being serious? And working? No. Sometimes the most productive thing we can do is relax and enjoy our surroundings and friends.

But to succeed we must make an effort to achieve the things we want. I've often heard that the best and most lasting changes are slow and incremental.

But if we're sitting around waiting for someone to rescue us from ourselves, we're going to have a long wait.

And disappointment.