Enrich Your Personal
Life
Several years ago
one grandmother sold off the old family home, pulled up her roots, left many of
her friends and activities behind, and moved to a retirement village in another
town. She had been healthy and energetic all her life, but in the last year
after her move she aged considerably and developed a terminal illness.
At
age 65 another retired and set up a full-time counseling center and wrote his
first book. His book became a bestseller and he has since written ten more. At
age 80 he had slowed down but was still counseling and writing.
What made
the difference between these two people ?
Like many elderly
people who retire or move to another place, the first person suffered deeply
from the loss of friends, her home of many years, and the activities she was
used to. She became lonely and life for her seemed to lose its meaning. She had
no real purpose to carry her through this time of major change and
readjustment.
The second person, however, had something to live for long
before his retirement. He just continued it after
"retirement."
Loneliness, emptiness, boredom, and lack of purpose are all
a very real part of modern man's dilemma. They are indicative of our failure to
find meaning for living and they show up in the alarming abuse of alcohol and
other drugs, and in the high depression and suicide rate.
In America, for
example, the most affluent country on earth, some 40,000 people take their own
lives each year, while it is estimated that ten times that number attempt to.
That means one person out of every 6,000 commits suicide each year. And there
are countless others who, while living in the midst of abundance, to quote Henry
D. Thoreau, live lives of "quiet desperation."
The tragedy in life,
however, is not death, but rather, as Albert Schweitzer once said, "what dies
inside a man [or woman] while he/ she lives." A person dies inside when he has
no meaningful purpose outside of himself for which to live.
It is
purpose—not wealth or success—that makes life worthwhile. Purpose makes even
drudgery acceptable and is an immunization against many sicknesses. How then can
we find more meaning and purpose to life ?
The following tips
can help:
Getting out of yourself. Another grandmother had a large family
to bring up and was widowed reasonably early in life. She had her share of
heartaches but never allowed these to get her down. She lived a full and active
life and had a wonderful gift for passing on cheer to those around her. Her
secret was helping other people. She was active and had a deep conviction that
one of the basic purposes to help people less fortunate than herself. One way
she did this was through years of hospital visitation to pass on a word of
comfort to the sick.
No matter how busy we are or how many problems we
have, we can all find little ways to bring cheer to those around us—like
bringing home a rose for your wife, a special treat for the children, a favor
for a neighbor. Visit someone who is shut-in. Write a note, use your telephone,
or send an email to tell a friend you appreciate him or her. Words of
encouragement and acts of kindness do wonders for both the giver and the
receiver.
A vital part of finding happiness and contentment is found in
discovering something more important than yourself to believe in, by helping
others, and by directing your thoughts and actions towards them. Egotists are
seldom happy.
Love and friendship are also essential for giving life
meaning and purpose. Without wholesome relationships, which give us a sense of
belonging, we live as islands alone in a very large universe.
So take
time for friends. They are a priceless asset in life. "Do you want to make
friends?" asks Dale Carnegie, who gives the following advice. "Be friendly.
Forget yourself. You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested
in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people
interested in you."
And remember, as another has said, "The person all
wrapped up in himself makes a very small package."
Another way for
enriching your personal life is by investing your life in a worthwhile cause.
Everybody needs something to live for that is bigger than him or herself—a noble
or worthwhile cause into which he/ she can put his/ her best efforts.
A
few years ago I was going through a particularly difficult time. Had it not been
for both my work and an outside project, I'm sure I would have cracked under the
strain. My work is helping people discover more meaningful personal and
spiritual values and my outside project at that time was building my own
site without any help—both worthwhile causes.
A creative use of one's
talents is also essential for giving meaning to life. God gave us all talents to
use. When we aren't using them, we feel unfulfilled.
One man I know was
very successful in his work but he was feeling very unfulfilled in it. He felt
his job was too small and that he wasn't using his best talents. So he took the
risk, quit his job and went back to college to train for the work he really
wanted to do. He struggled for several years but today he has built a work that
is helping many people, and this has greatly enhanced his purpose for
living.
This is why I believe it is important to discover what your best
talent is (or talents are), get the training you need to sharpen that talent,
and find a place where you can use it—either in your job, in a hobby, or with a
volunteer organization. God's purpose for your life will definitely involve the
use of your gifts and talents in ways to help others.
Faith, hope, and
charity. The poet Goethe lists nine requisites for meaningful living. They are
as follows:
"Health enough to
make work a pleasure. Wealth enough to support your needs. Strength enough to
battle with difficulties and overcome them. Grace enough to confess your sins
and forsake them. Patience enough to toil until some good is accomplished.
Charity enough to see some good in your neighbor. Love enough to move you to be
useful and helpful to others. Faith enough to make real the things of God. Hope
enough to remove all anxious fears concerning the future."
There is, I am
sure, no greater way to increase your hope for the future and enrich your
personal life than by learning to love others more fully, by developing a vital
faith in God, and discovering and fulfilling your God-given life purpose. Why
not tell God right now that you want to do that and confirm your decision by
becoming more involved as a volunteer in community service.
Dear God
...
please help me ...
to discover ...
my God-given life purpose ...
and then, with your help ...
employ all of my powers ...
for the achievement of this purpose ...
And please grant that what I contribute ...
will help make the world ...
in which I live a better place ...
for others to live ...
Dear God ...
please help me ...
to live life beyond myself ...
love people, and therein serve others ...
Dear God
...
please help me
...
to increase
...
my hope ...
and trust
...
in You ...
and thereby
...
renew my strength
...
and, help me to soar
...
on wings as eagles
...
run and not be weary
...
and walk and not faint
...
Thank you for hearing and
answering my prayerz ...
