Tonight, while surfing the blog-o-sphere, I came across a site with a post that caught my attention. The title of said post was “10 Tips On Making Life Fun.” I read through the post from top to bottom expecting some shallow, fluffy recipe on how to make a new friend every day or finding a reason to be grateful for doing the dishes or mowing the lawn. Instead I found a fairly interesting list of thoughtful acts and insights that we all know we should have, but forget about. It reminded me alot of a book I just finished reading. To be honest, reading this book has been the closest thing I’ve had to what would be called a “life changing experience.” The book is entitled The Greatest Miracle In The World by Og Mandino.
The book is so jam packed with amazing quotes, advice, stories, characters and anecdotes that you have to read it multiple times to even scratch the surface of its worth and potential to change your life. The book, in a nutshell, is about a man who has searched and studied all of his life to simplify a message that God has been trying to communicate to us for centuries through various masterpieces made by the greats artists and authors of our day. The message, in and of itself, is a prescription on how to live a happy life.
So many of us are unhappy, living lives that seem to be monotonous, pointless and pointing us in a path to what we deem a worthless destination. We don’t seem to realize that we have such great potential to make our lives happier, more interesting and full of opportunity. The tips (which finally come at the very end of the book) are so simple, yet so profound. They are:
1) Count your blessings. You can see a sunrise, you can hear a baby cry, you can feel new socks on your feet, you can smell bread baking, you can taste the sweetness of sugar, the sour of citrus and the spice of cinnamon. You have a functioning body that lets you experience life and all of its little blessings. If you have nothing else, you have this.
2) Proclaim your rarity. “Consider a painting by Rembrandt or a bronze by Degas or a violin by Stradivarius or a play by Shakespeare. They have great value for two reasons: their creators were masters and they are few in number. Yet there are more than one of each of these… On that reasoning you are the most valuable treasure on the face of the earth, for you know who created you and there is only but one of you… Never, until the end of time, will there be another such as you.”
3) Go another mile. “You cannot command success, you can only deserve it… and now you now the great secrecy necessary in order to merit its rare reward. Go another mile!”
4) Use wisely your power of choice. “Choose to love… rather than hate. Choose to laugh… rather than cry. Choose to create… rather than destroy. Choose to persevere… rather than quit. Choose to praise… rather than gossip. Choose to heal… rather than wound. Choose to give… rather than steal. Choose to act… rather than procrastinate. Choose to grow… rather than rot. Choose to pray… rather than curse. Choose to live… rather than die.”
Applying these 4 simple principles will really give one the ability to change ones life. Look for the good you have. Know your value and importance. Help those who are in need (as my mother said, “if you need to lighten your own burdens, help carry the burdens of another. Yours will seem much lighter afterward.”) And don’t forget… you have the power to choose. I hope this friendly reminder that we are in control of our lives, and not the other way around, will help some of you out there as much as it’s helped me. I recommend taking a look at Charles Hamel’s site which is full of life tips and advice on personal peace and spiritual growth as well as buying and putting into practice the steps found in Og Mandino’s book.
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