Be Brave Not Safe

Isn’t it fortunate that we don’t need to know precisely how electricity works? We can simply flip the switch and the lights come on! That is, someone has figured all of this out long ago.

Did you know that so many other things have also, already been figured out? Meaning, we don’t have to live our lives by trial and error. Or, be an example of Henry David Thoreau’s aphorism, “The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation”.

Down through the annals of time philosophers, teachers, wise men and women, sages, adventurers, business people and the everyday person have clearly documented what works, doesn’t work and other learnings accumulated for virtually EVERY situation we might encounter during our short stay on this beautiful planet.

Most of us simply did not appreciate the benefits of paying attention in school; a primary source of early education. I confess, I was one of the leaders of that pack!

Upon growing older I found myriad sources of knowledge and wisdom that, once applied, can take us virtually ANYWHERE in life we’d like to go. Examples include; the Bible (an early book of wisdom sharing guidance and outcomes of the many mistakes humanity has and will continue to make), Think and Grow Rich, by Napolean Hill, among others. In addition, most of us can easily find adult education and training courses in our locale, on nearly any topic we might be interested in. Top that with the advent of the internet and we have ALL of this at our fingertips!

There is just so much available, allowing each of us to “catch up” with others who have gone before us. We can learn what they did, how they did it, why they did it, their struggles as well as successes. Said another way, we cannot honestly look ourselves in the mirror and say anything but “I CAN make forward progress in my life, towards my goals, if I’m willing to slowly, daily chip away.”

One of my favorite quotes is by Zig Ziglar…

“You are what you are and where you are because of what has gone into your mind. You can change what you are and where you are by changing what goes into your mind.”

In closing, we might ask ourselves: Am I doing a reasonable job of catching up?