No Destinations, only a Journey

Choosing a path for your life

Most life coaches recommend choosing a goal, a destination for yourself, setting a date for completion, and then getting into action. Sometimes it happens that others set goals for us. They don’t ask you to bounce it off your values, to see if the goal and you are in alignment. When the goal has been accomplished, with it comes temporary satisfaction. Then it is on to the next goal and destination.

At some point in time, we may have just decided that what we wanted was wealth, and/or power, possibly fame. We act without understanding the sacrifices that we would be compelled to make, in order to be successful. We cut back on sleep time, our diet consists of fast foods and of restaurant dining. The fast-paced life puts stress on us and our families, which we ignore. We may have added in smoking, and drinking, so that we could fit in with a certain crowd.

In the end we may have attained our goal, but chances are we sacrificed our health.

It is nice to have money and it feels good to be respected by others. However, if we have sacrificed our health in reaching those lofty goals, our ability to enjoy those things will be almost impossible.

One of the macros of life that should be considered, is what our “career path” should be. At age twenty, during career day, at the naval center, a counselor told me I had an aptitude for electronics and sent me on my way. I was sent to electronics school and for the next thirty years, I worked my way up the corporate ladder. That was what I knew to do, so I did it. I never considered “happiness” as part of the picture.

Then at age fifty, I left the corporate world, took two years training to become a Therapeutic Massage Therapist. I can happily say that the next thirty years were filled with peace, serenity, and joy.

It pays dividends to look at the challenges of life and surmise what the bigger picture might look like. When it comes to health, instead of setting a specific goal to lose weight, xx pounds, think about a “Worthy Ideal” you would like to achieve. Possibly something like; “I would like to obtain Optimal Health”. In that case “Optimal Health” would include weight loss, a healthy heart, and a positive mind set. In a true sense, Optimal Health is an unreachable goal because every time you reach a new level, you find another level above it. Optimal Health itself, becomes a “Worthy Ideal”.

Success = A progressive realization of a Worthy Ideal

I know many people who don’t know when enough is enough. I have an acquaintance who had a family yearly income of $350,000 but would write me checks that would bounce. No matter how much he took in, it wasn’t enough.

If wealth is your goal, when would you have enough money. What will that wealth provide? What are you going to use the money that you earn, for? For some individuals, having money makes them fearful. They become afraid of losing it. Wealth without a purpose is foolish. Just wanting and getting more does not create happiness.

When it comes to financial goals, a worthy ideal may sound like “with more wealth I can contribute and be of better service to” _________ (my community) you fill in the gap. A worthy ideal like that would create a journey that would never end. Your service could continue until your departure from this plane.

Others desiring recognition of their peers, might desire a Ph.D. so that they can appear better than someone else. Could that be a worthy ideal? Maybe so, maybe not. If “EGO” is driving the decision, then it probably is not a worthy ideal.

Recognizing beforehand, what your gifts are, what your talents are, might be indicators of what your curricular of study might be. We should remember that what we become educated in will, in most cases inevitably lead to our career path and ultimately financial stability later on in life.

In the case of education, career, and financial stability we may want to consider joy, peace and serenity as part of the equation when choosing our worthy ideal.

The most important thing in life is deciding what you want to be.

Your “be” will lead to what you do and eventually to what you will have.

If you don’t choose a worthy ideal for yourself, then the world will decide for you.

As you proceed through life it is essential we review our results, learn from any mistakes or errors, before we take the next action. The first Health Habit everyone should develop is to do an honest evaluation and determine exactly where you are today.

The Bible said it first:

The fruits of the Spirit are love, joy, peace, and serenity. We obtain those things when we are healthy, not when we are sick and despondent.

If you have chosen “Optimal Health” as one of your worthy ideals, then you will find that there are many health factors involved in gaining and maintaining optimal health.

1. Our diet should be such that we maintain a healthy BMI. (19 to 24.9) 2. We should attempt to get eight solid hours of sleep every night.

3. We should drink half of our weight in ounces of water every day.

4. A healthy spiritual program can be a positive force in our lives.

5. A healthy exercise program to maintain muscle strength and flexibility.

6. Complete, deep breathing, will provide relaxation as well as extra energy to the body.

7. Good posture will lead to less wear and tear on every joint in the body.

8. Keeping an open mind, gaining knowledge, and becoming educated as to what is good for you and what is detrimental.

When I reflect on the defining moments in my life, I find that the more profound my relationship with God is, and how that relationship has played an important part in my obtaining peace, joy and serenity in my life.

My suggestion, is that the first choice for a “Worthy Ideal” for your life, would be to establish a relationship with God. Find a Higher Power, something other than yourself, to assist you while you are here on this portion of your life.

Optimal Health would be my second choice. If we maintain our health all other things are within our reach. Without our health, we may attain certain goals, but unless we are healthy, it will be difficult to enjoy them.

A starting point and a worthy ideal for many individuals, might be to establish a connection to one’s authentic self. To that “Being” that God created.

Mind chatter, thinking all the time, continuous thought, creates an illusion. It makes it seem like we are really the creation of a committee that is doing all the thinking for us. Our ego, made up of that committee demands happiness and we all know that happiness is obtained through things. NOT!

A part of the Spiritual Journey, for everyone, is getting in touch with the Authentic You. To do so you must shut down or subdue the committee, the chatter in your mind.

The Bible Said It First: “Be still and know that I Am God”! Psalm 46:10 (BSIF)

With quietness comes a connection, which can be turned into a relationship.

The Authentic You is made up of the body, which consists of the (inner you)(all of the electrical and chemical energy flowing around) not just the physical shell.

The Authentic You is made up of the mind, not the committee that is always chattering, but the quiet mind, the observer. That part of the mind that stays awake and observes your dreams during the night.

The Authentic You is made up of the soul, that Spiritual Entity, that Energy, that never disappears, but moves someplace beyond at your demise.

Energy can neither be created nor destroyed, only transformed. That energy upon your demise must go somewhere.

Body, Mind, and Spirit, the Trilogy, the Trinity is what makes up the Authentic You.

Make it a point, an effort, a practice to get in touch and put the Authentic Self in charge of your life.

Ensure that the “Authentic Self” is choosing your worthy ideals and not your “Ego”.

Ph. # (619) 316-6900 or email - mm@tic.zone

Together (with worthy ideals) i Can – enjoy the journey

© Michael McCright - Togetherican.com