SOME ASSEMBLY REQUIRED

In a nutshell, this is what life is. You are given life and breath. For a long time you are developing, first physically and then emotionally. You get a lot of help at the beginning because you need it.

At some point, however, you start to function on your own. This requires some participation from you. For this you need to apply some energy to your daily activities. Without energy we would sit or (worse still) lie around all day doing nothing.

You start making some choices and decisions of your own. In effect, you are actually building the person you are going to become. Man, by nature is, I think a work in progress. We seem to need to be moving forward and our intellect pushes us to be continually learning new things and having new experiences.

While a certain amount of initiative is required from us, healthy individuals, who have taken at least a minimum of care of themselves, usually have enough curiosity and energy to get a lot done each and every day. Some of our routine tasks, seem in fact, to almost be done pretty automatically, and probably also, somewhat unconsciously.

Once your basic needs have been met, you begin to realize that you are powered from within. You eventually see that a lot of what happens to you in life comes from the energy and input you put into it in the course of your daily activities.

I think if you don’t feel you life is all that you want it to be, there are things you can do to keep bringing it closer to what you feel you want and need.

Although we all have obligations and responsibilities to other people, if only to be able to earn a living, beyond this, some thoughtful reflection can make it possible to let our lives be more personally satisfying than they now are.

While, few of us can drop everything and leave today for the ‘dream trip’ that we would like to, there are fewer obstacles holding us back from our dreams than we think.

Once we stop and consider the many parts of our day that we have a choice about, we can make some very positive and constructive decisions on how we might begin to use our time to give us more of what we want to have in our lives.

What we often do not usually consider is that all of the elements of a better life do not necessarily involve either leaving our current environment nor being able to change everything at once.

We have built a life for ourselves. Much of it has involved choices and decisions. Ideas and decisions have consequences so there will always be times when we need to defer some of our dreams because previous obligations and commitments still require our time and attention.

Even if we think we would do everything differently were some great windfall occur which suddenly made it possible, I believe we are actually more invested in parts of the life we live now than most of us realize. A lot of things about the way we live now, actually suit us fairly well.

We did not land where we are, full grown, rooted to the spot and already in motion. What we have created required some assembly by our parents, our families, our education and our society to get us where we are now. The most important person in creating the life you have now however, was you.

You are also the person who will be the instigator and have the responsibility to make any changes in your life. In fact, there won’t be any changes in you or your life, no matter how much you say you want them, unless you decide to make them.

This is what I mean when I say, Some Assembly Required. The Batteries are the energy you provide as you assemble and often, re-assemble your life. The result is the finished product which you did a lot to create and use throughout your lifetime.   

YOU MUST BE DOING SOMETHING RIGHT

It’s not hard to get discouraged from time to time. Sometimes you feel like you can't seem to get a break and everything is going south in your life. While this isn’t actually the case, we being human, can’t always help feeling this way. I found the best way to counter these kind of feelings is to become aware of them.

I spoke about a bizarre meltdown period I seemed to be in just before Christmas. I say bizarre because this is one of the times of year that I really enjoy.

The city is dressed up and everyone seems to be ready to have a good time. Most of us are looking forward to celebrating the holidays, first Christmas and then, only a week later, New Years.

I can’t give you an excuse, but maybe because the weather kept changing and it was raining a lot, I was not my usual self. Good thing though that I noticed it and still had time to snap out of it.

Of course, everything costs more and unexpected extra expenses get you down. Of course, it is cold in North America, so you dress for it and, if you are like me, ignore it as much as possible. Mainly you can do this because you realize that later in the year you will be very hot and walking around in sandals and light clothes most of the time.

No matter what comes at you, you rise up to the challenge and eventually realize you have tackled worse and come through it. When you think about this, it is likely that whatever aggravations and troubles you have now, will sooner or later (preferably sooner) be behind you.

What I am thinking is that you and I are still standing. We are still enjoying life and breath and friends and family and all of the things that make up our lives. A good thing to remember the next time you feel weighed down and frustrated by whatever passing detour life is putting in your path.

Using your own past and the life you have lived so far, you can muster the will and strength to pull yourself up and head forward again.

I believe in you. When you believe in you too, it will suddenly get easier and you can move ahead with your second wind and renewed energy and confidence.