Our Lives are Not Neutral

Our lives are not neutral, they are for something. Even if that something isn’t all that much.

Accordingly, carefully and consciously choosing what we want our lives to be about is a gift (potentially) to the World and all those we encounter. (What do you want to give . . . ?)

Not choosing has a cost. If you fail to choose, other things make the choice for you (over time): circumstances, inertia, other people’s needs, agendas and pathologies . . . .

When you choose a purpose — a direction for and the content of your life — you feed your soul and harmonize with the true nature of things. And it feels much better. And you’re much more effective, powerful and fulfilled.

Conversely, when you fail to choose, when you languish and stall, you suffer the effects of not being in tune with things. To the extent that well-lived life is rewarding and feels good, the aimless life feels the opposite.

What do I want my life to be about? What do you want your life to be about?

Similar Posts

  • What Is Defeat, Really?

    No one can defeat us unless we first defeat ourselves. – Dwight Eisenhower Many people think “defeat” is losing, or being beaten. It’s really not. Defeat is when you stop working. When you stay down when you can get back up. Defeat is not trying because it seems too hard, or it didn’t work out…

  • How You Become

    Men acquire a particular quality by constantly acting a particular way. You become just by performing just actions, temperate by performing temperate actions, brave by performing brave actions. – Aristotle What we do makes us. The idea of “muscle-memory” applies to character and life skills as much as it does to playing tennis or baseball….

  • Actions Speak Loudest

    As I grow older, I pay less attention to what men say. I just watch what they do. – Andrew Carnegie Recently I wrote: Talk is cheap, but action is priceless. What we say (/think) matters to what we do, but what do is what really matters. What are you doing, that doesn’t serve you?…

  • Why Coaching Works

    At the risk of shameless self-promotion, here is a post on why coaching is a powerful way to create authentic and lasting change: Who you hang out with matters. (The right coach is a wonderful person to “hang out” with once a week or so, and will challenge you to upgrade your associations if necessary.) What…