At the vine ripened age of 39, I came to the conclusion that
this F word thing was headed my way whether I liked it or not. At about this moment, I had to come to peace
with the notion that no matter what I do or how I feel about aging, its going to
go down. No crossroads pact I could finagle with Beelzebub himself would have
any influence over the amount of years that my 5’11” frame will carry. This got
me thinking about all aspects of my life. Dismissing the option of selling my
soul to become a servant to the eye of Mordor, I decided to take inventory of
what I can influence and what is out of my control.
Right around this same time I was on a flight and after a
delightful cruise through SkyMall (may you rest in peace great bazaar of the
friendly skies) I read an article in Fortune in which multiple CEO’s were
interviewed. The common thread that contributed to their success was the
importance of a lifetime pursuit of knowledge. At this point the starting gun
fired, the squirrels in my head decided to run, and I realized that for too
long I had been in an intellectual holding pattern.
Upon this epiphany, it also dawned on me that I have placed
a significant amount of time and energy on things I have virtually no control
over. For example, the 24-7 news cycle that we now live in throws people into a
world of rage on both sides of the aisle. Between talk radio, cable news
outlets, magazines, books, and internet news sources it is easy to become
consumed with politics. Before I go any further let me mention that there is a
major difference between the 5% who are truly involved and the 95% who arm
chair quarterback. Those who are truly
involved do have an influence on what
happens, but let’s be honest most of us prefer complaining over action. This
post is 100% politically neutural, and yes it is important to know your stuff
and do your civic duty. But let’s be
honest…how much time and energy is wasted on things and people that we cannot
influence, change, or impact one way or another.
It dawned on me that I had been vacu-sucked into a billion-dollar
industry that prays on people’s emotions and passions, with the net outcome
really being wasted time, and depleted brain storage. So virtually overnight I
decided enough is enough. I was going to
un-plug from all things I could not directly control and focus my energy and
passions on what I can control; primarily myself and my sphere of influence.
The very next day I ordered a few books to jump start the
gray matter, downloaded a bunch of podcasts, dusted off the running shoes and
started a quest of influencing my own life and others in a positive direction.
The crazy thing about this epiphany is this: What we draw our happiness from, namely
those things that mean the most to us, are ninety percent of the time within
arm’s reach. Think for a moment about how depressing the news is, but how
amazing having a good conversation with friends over dinner can be. Contrast how
trivial pop gossip is when compared to the satisfaction of learning something
new. How much energy does it waste to argue a political opinion versus spending
that time developing a new hobby? Why do
we tend to worry more about things that are beyond our control nationally, than
paying attention to what is happening at the school board, county, or city
level.
Let’s face it. Life
is extremely complicated as is, and I
disparage no one for their involvement with government or other distractions.
The point I am trying to make is that we have the choice to either live our
lives to the fullest or allow them to be riddled with an array of distractions.
I can only speak for myself and my recent experience, but since taking this
stance I am happier then I have been in years. I have learned some pretty
amazing things, become a better father and husband, lost a few pounds, and am actively
involved in local initiatives such as developing a mixed use trail system in my
community.
So…in conclusion, I use this format not as a pulpit, but
simply to share what has turned my F word experience from a gas station taquito
into a glorious, smothered, chipotle-infused steak burrito with hot sauce (just
saying). As the great Cuban Jazz leader Joe Cuba once stated, "Try it... You'll Like it."
Like what you have read? #justifyingthefword or follow me on Facebook @ https://www.facebook.com/justifyingthefword/timeline
Like what you have read? #justifyingthefword or follow me on Facebook @ https://www.facebook.com/justifyingthefword/timeline
Couldn't be more true. Focus on the stuff you can change. I love it!
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