#trust30, day 27
I do not wish to expiate, but to live. My life is for itself and not for a spectacle. I much prefer that it should be of a lower strain, so it be genuine and equal, than that it should be glittering and unsteady. I wish it to be sound and sweet, and not to need diet and bleeding. - Ralph Waldo Emerson
Think about the type of person you’d NEVER want to be 5 years from now. Write out your own personal recipe to prevent this from happening and commit to following it. “Thought is the seed of action.”
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We think a lot about who we want to be in the future, less so about who we don't want to be. That's probably a "focusing on the positives" kind of thing.
Who don't I want to be? Well, the best answer I can think of is that I never want to be me at any earlier point in my life. That's not to say some of those time weren't wonderful, because they were. There are memories I will always cherish, of times learning new things, having adventures, being with people I love, some of whom are gone. It's an easy trap to fall in, because I hate endings. I hate thinking that something is over and gone. I know I'm not getting any younger, and the days I have left are finite. But the question's not asking if I want to go back and do any of it again. That would be a different answer. But I know that I don't want to be the me of last year, or five years ago, or twenty. I'm a better me now than I was then, and I believe that process will continue. I don't want to regress. I don't want to stagnate. I want to see what's out there, both externally and internally. What skills don't I have today that I will in five years? What insights into what I value and what can make me happy? How much more deeply can I love my family? Myself? In what ways can I be a better teacher, colleague, friend, mentor, citizen?
I don't know any of those answers, but I'll only find out if I look to the future and can avoid letting my fears keep me rooted in the past.
Think about the type of person you’d NEVER want to be 5 years from now. Write out your own personal recipe to prevent this from happening and commit to following it. “Thought is the seed of action.”
---------------------------------
We think a lot about who we want to be in the future, less so about who we don't want to be. That's probably a "focusing on the positives" kind of thing.
Who don't I want to be? Well, the best answer I can think of is that I never want to be me at any earlier point in my life. That's not to say some of those time weren't wonderful, because they were. There are memories I will always cherish, of times learning new things, having adventures, being with people I love, some of whom are gone. It's an easy trap to fall in, because I hate endings. I hate thinking that something is over and gone. I know I'm not getting any younger, and the days I have left are finite. But the question's not asking if I want to go back and do any of it again. That would be a different answer. But I know that I don't want to be the me of last year, or five years ago, or twenty. I'm a better me now than I was then, and I believe that process will continue. I don't want to regress. I don't want to stagnate. I want to see what's out there, both externally and internally. What skills don't I have today that I will in five years? What insights into what I value and what can make me happy? How much more deeply can I love my family? Myself? In what ways can I be a better teacher, colleague, friend, mentor, citizen?
I don't know any of those answers, but I'll only find out if I look to the future and can avoid letting my fears keep me rooted in the past.