Tip: Happy Birthday to me and you!
Tip of the Week
04/22/13
Tip: Happy Birthday to me and you!
Today is my birthday. I am 64 years old, but I can hardly believe it because on the inside, I still feel like I am about 16 years old! I don’t know where the last forty or fifty years have gone. It seems like I was just graduating from high school a few minutes ago and now I find myself becoming more of a senior adult every day. I will have to admit that I love the discounts and all the opportunities that come with being a senior citizen. There are some benefits to becoming older. And, according to my last physical, my doctor says I am still in pretty good shape, so I am blessed!
Since today is my birthday, I want to give you a present. I want to share with you some of the most important truths that I have learned over these past 64 years. I know that I still have much to learn, but I have also collected some pearls of wisdom along the way that I think are worth sharing.
1) I have learned to go easy through life; to proceed at a peaceful pace. I know that sometimes it is necessary to push forward, but I don’t have to push so hard. I can move ahead in gentleness, and I can move ahead in peace. Anything that destroys my peace of mind and life is not good for me, or for anyone else, for that matter.
2) I have learned that I don’t have to be in so much of a hurry. At no hour or day or time am I required to do more than I can do in that moment. Frantic behaviors and urgency are not a good foundation for life. I don’t have to rush into my next project. I do need to begin, but I do not have to force the beginning…especially if it is not the right time. Beginnings will arrive soon enough, at their proper time.
3) I have learned to enjoy and relish the “middle part” of life. The middle is the heart of every matter. It makes up the largest part of life and I have learned that the middle is very important. I am not talking about “middle age;” I am talking about the time and journey of life – the growth part – not just trying to reach some goal or destination or end. The heart of any matter is called “the heart” for a good reason.
4) I have learned not to be in too much of a hurry to finish something either. I can give myself fully to each moment along the way and get the most there is to get from everything that I do. I can enjoy the final moments of something if I am not in a hurry to be finished. When I hear myself saying, “I will be glad when this is over,” I have learned that I may have missed an important lesson that I will need in the future.
5) I have learned to squeeze the most out of everything I do, because there is a lot of extra enjoyment in squeezing the goodness and sweetness from every relationship and event in life. Marriage, children, grandchildren, family, business relationships are all loaded with extra enjoyment if I will only take the time to pay closer attention.
6) I have learned to let go of the habit of being anxious, upset and “ticked off” when things don’t go my way. I have lost money, relationships, jobs and friends over the years. However, I have the power to replace bad situations with good ones. I can see that things don’t happen “to me” – they happen “for me”. I can be at peace with myself and those around me. I have learned to be in harmony with daily life, God, business, money, friends, health, marriage, children, grandchildren – and most of all, myself!
7) I have learned that painful and disappointing events often happen for a reason and for a higher purpose than I could have ever imagined. I have learned that God is a lot smarter than I originally realized. I have also learned how glad I am that I am not God.
I guess you could say that I have learned a lot about life, yet I am still learning every day!
I hope some of these thoughts strike a chord with you and that you enter into the enjoyment of the kinds of things I have shared in this Tip.
The quest for wisdom has been an almost daily pursuit of my life. I enjoy talking to those who are older than I am and gaining wisdom from their life’s lessons because life is like a game; the more you understand about how it is played, the better results you will get. If I have played the game with wisdom (applying what I know works), then it will only get better as the days roll along.
Regardless of your current age or where you are on life’s journey, I hope you will consider the things I’ve shared from my own journey. Remember that life is meant to be lived in love, joy and peace. You are welcome to take the things I have learned and use them to continue to grow along the way. I sure hope that you will!
So, whenever your birthday comes along this year, happy birthday in advance – and I hope you are becoming everything in life that you were meant to be!
Tip: Happy Birthday to me and you!
Have a great week! God bless you!
Dr. Robert A. Rohm
