How many times have we witnessed people who are dealing with a difficult task, or buried in a frustrating situation say, “It’s not worth it?” We’ve probably heard that a thousand times in our lives. Many of us have probably said it ourselves. It’s exasperation at its best. But what are people really saying? Too hard? Too much time? I can’t? I won’t? It can’t be done?!
Here’s something to think about: What is the one big thing that you’ve always wanted to do, but haven’t achieved…yet? What dream did you have as a young person that for whatever reason has been put on the shelf? Another question: Can you still achieve your dream if you really went after it? If the answer is, it’s possible… Then, don’t you just have to go after it? If it’s possible, then isn’t it a worthy endeavor? I’m a collector of inspiring quotes and here is one that applies to this situation; “Something is only worth the price you are willing to pay.” What price are we willing to pay for our dreams and our goals?
We are a club of accomplished people who have reached many goals in our lifetimes. Some of them are very worthy goals. But the question that we all need to ask ourselves is, “What haven’t we done, that we still could do?” How do we know when to keep pushing forward, or when enough is enough? Great question, right? We accomplish things by moving and pushing forward, one step at a time. I believe that the answer to that question is this: We should never stop moving forward. We are not done contributing to our world for as long as we are still here on earth. We can rest where needed. We can ponder our next move. We can still savor our lives with family and friends, all while we are chasing our dreams.
There are more things to learn; more sunsets to view and more for us to accomplish, contribute and celebrate. If you feel a fire in your belly, or a calling, then let yourself be guided to that which you are supposed to do! I have a simple life philosophy when it comes to this: At the end of our days, we should be the best people we could possibly have become, achieving all of the work that is here for us to do. There are people waiting for us to enrich their lives through our deeds, accomplishments, and our acts of kindness. There are mountains to climb and valleys to explore and great things for us to do. The world is waiting for all that we have to offer….
“Influencing the world for good starts with service, self-care and specificity in time contribution to family.” “Do you want to be remembered for the money you made or the life you lived?” “Every human being has the potential for mastery. Every soul deeply yearns to contribute.” - Unknown
Yours in Rotary,
Tony Parziale