I think it is necessary to document our individual achievements, certainly to ourselves, right? Absolutely.
Because you think to yourself, if you have a set of goals, and you started out in life, and you want to achieve certain things, certain things on an ongoing basis. I have in my notebook, I’ve created a column, I call it What’s My Daily Goals?
What do I intend to achieve today? My daily mission. And I think that’s very necessary because we do live in time.
The past is over as if it never existed. The future is an illusion. So all we have is right now, this moment.
And so if we’re not documenting time, and we’re not putting that time into our path, so to speak, into our goals for the future, I think we’re doing a disservice to ourselves, for sure. Because life is predicated on achievements.
And so even though you do live in the present, you still have to cock your eye to the future. Where are you taking this life? With the proviso that there might be no future.
Of course, anything is quite possible, especially as you age. But you are thinking about the future as well as enjoying the present.
So when you celebrate your achievements, whatever they are, to yourself, this reinforces that you’re on the right path. And I don’t necessarily think that you have to share them.
Look at me, I’m so special, I’ve accomplished this, that, the other thing today.
But you know, because we are self-contained beings to a very large extent, you know if you’re doing the right thing, if you’ve woken up on time, if you’ve done your homework correctly, if you’re writing in your journal, your diary, whatever it is,
right? Your notebook, book of ideas.
And I think a lot of people now, because we do live in the age of comparison, I think a lot of people don’t know that they have to celebrate their life, because their life is pretty precious, obviously, because without it, without your life, you
don’t exist, quite obviously. I know that sounds like a truism, but it’s true. All the anxiety, the fears, the frustrations that you have, if you’re not here, they do not exist. They would have no value.
So if we’re not building a life, we’re just coasting to, in a sense, death, aren’t we? What’s the purpose of life if it doesn’t have some form of pathway of mission?
I’m just supposed to go to school and then finish and get a job and make some money and then eventually make a lot of money, perhaps meet Mr. or Mrs. right, perhaps get married, children retire and die.
Is that life? Gosh, I don’t think so. And those that are attempting that life in the modern society are suffering all the time.
Mental illness, not clinical depression, but mental illness in the sense of people being despondent and unhappy and frustrated, right, is off the scale.
Drug addiction, legal and illegal, alcoholism, bad relationships, these are all the result of not being on a path and not celebrating your joys along the way.
I was reading recently that a wonderful thing to do when you’ve achieved something, perhaps you’ve finished a course or you’ve had a successful week or whatever it is, buy yourself a small gift to reward yourself.
Be it may a chocolate bar or a movie or a walk in the park, whatever you deem to be a bonus for your achievement. I think it’s a nice way to nurture yourself, to punctuate these moments as such.
If we live just in a world of comparing myself to others, we’re going to be profoundly disappointed, for sure, because there will always be someone more beautiful than me. Disappointing but true. There will always be someone richer, smarter.
It just goes on. But there will never be anyone like me with my consciousness. But I’ve got to spend time on me to develop me.
Well, of course, I don’t have to. I can be. I mean, who is happier from John Stuart Mill?
Who’s happier? Socrates unhappy or a pig in mud? And many, many people, at least amongst my students, will say, of course, the pig is.
But the answer is Socrates, because Socrates knows what happiness is. And the conscious mind, and most of us are just like this, I’m sure, the conscious mind knows if I’m not doing something with my peace of life.
If I’m procrastinating or I’m naturally lazy, I suffer. That’s the bitter old man, the bitter old woman, because now you’re going to leave her, now you’re going to die. It’s too late to correct the trajectory.
The trajectory is over. It’s over. But if you’ve begun the trajectory, if you will, when you’re twenty, thirty, forty years old, that can continue.
That direction can continue to deliver. And you’re happy. Never retire.
Just keep doing it. Keep enjoying you. Keep celebrating your small wins.
Oh, that’s also something. Thanks to David, my walking partner, David, that I’ve put in my notebook. I put in my wins on a daily basis.
So each day, there is a daily mission, daily goal, set of goals and a daily win. All interesting things to look in your notebook, to write up in your notebook, for sure.
So think to yourself, celebrate your wins, whatever they are, and really enjoy the journey, your life’s journey. Why not? Why not?
And you know what they say. You know what they say. Critical thinking is everything.
Especially if you’re going to document your wins on a daily, weekly, or monthly, yearly basis. And critical thinking is great. It gets you along the path.
Truly great. You take care. God bless.
Bye-bye.