BLOGS

ANCHORING YOUR FUTURE

Here are some thoughts that will help rejuvenate yourself and anchor your future in a more positive way.

Develop a systematic reading program
•    My teacher once said, “You will be the same in five years as you are today except for the people you meet and the books you read”. The words you devour are more than mere ink on paper. They become a rich, permanent reservoir from which you will continually draw. It is sad that some people earn a college degree and feel their need for “book learning” is over. Without realizing it, their conversation soon becomes mundane and their mind settles into a predictable rut.
•    Schedule a time every day for reading. View it as being as important as eating or sleeping – not as an optional or spare time activity. Try to concentrate on two areas: (i) self-help and inspiration (ii) skill building. The first builds character and motivates, the second develops talent. Whether you read for information, inspiration, enjoyment or personal growth, make reading a systematic, permanent part of your everyday experience.
Commit to a lifetime of personal growth
•    There is a wonderful scene in ‘Alice in Wonderland’ when Alice asks the Cheshire cat, “Will you tell me please, which way I ought to go from here?” The cat replies, “That depends a good deal on where you want to go”. Remember to define your mission clearly. It is the key to a lifetime of personal development.
•    Your achievement requires more than positive thinking or good intentions. Build on the talent you have, not on what may interest you at a particular moment. Be sure your vision is large enough to present a great challenge. In the office of a real estate developer I saw a plaque with these words: “If you have accomplished all that you have planned for yourself – you have not planned enough”.
•    Continual progress is not as arduous as some people would have you believe. To be on the plus side of the ledger you only have to succeed 51% of the time. When you achieve more than that, consider it a bonus. Resist the temptation to reach a plateau and level off. Someone wisely observed, “People don’t grow old. They become old from not growing.”
•   There are dozens of things you can do in twenty-four hours for personal growth. For example, you can eat a healthy diet for a day. You can be an optimist for a day. You can encourage others for a day. Why not do them for a week? Why not a month? Why not for a year? Even better, you can do them for a lifetime.
Look to the future, not the past
•    Have you encountered individuals who constantly yearn for the “good old days”? A man recently told me, “I can remember paying only Rs. 10 a litre for petrol!”. I asked him, “Would you trade what you earned this year for your income that same year?” “Well, I’d have to think about that,”
•    he responded. Would we really like to return to the cars in the scorching heat without air-conditioning? Would we like to have a dentist drill our teeth without modern technology?
•    There is nothing wrong in remembering your past. It is your heritage, and it holds many treasured memories. Yesterday, however, is not where you want to live. God created us with eyes that look forward because that is the direction He intends for us to travel.
Promise to keep yourself physically fit
•    One simple decision, if kept, can have a dramatic effect on your longevity. Make a commitment to spend fifteen minutes a day in physical exercise. Your routine may be walking, jogging or using that special piece of equipment you bought on impulse from a television commercial.
•    Everyone knows the benefits of exercise, but many look for it in the wrong places. On the bulletin board someone posted this message: “The only exercise some people get is jumping to conclusions, running down their friends, sidestepping responsibility, dodging issues, passing the buck and pushing their luck.”
•    Aim for a well-balance program that will strengthen your heart and lungs, build your muscles, increase your flexibility, and produce the correct weight/height ratio. What’s the best advice? Get started!