Monday, June 15, 2009

Do you know the secret?

Upon walking into any bookstore, flipping through the TV channels, or surfing the Internet; you can find someone ready to share (drum roll, please) "The Secret to Life." Following is a public service reminder...thousands of years ago the secret to life was revealed in a little known book entitled...Bible. But I digress.

In today's uncertain society, many of us can be seen scratching our heads and wondering actually what to do, how to do it, and thinking about the necessity of doing it. Is there really a secret to life? Is life really that much of a mystery to most of us? Tell me, would I be considered presumptuous if I simply said, "Just maybe the real secret to life is to actually live it as if it's the only one you will ever have." Am I being too simplistic? Have we become so jaded to life that we're taking it for granted, or simply looking for easy answers to what has now become a complex question?

Knock, knock. Who's there?...ain't no...ain't no who?...Ain't no secrets to life except the one's you're keeping. (I know the grammar, but you get the point.) Secrets are for the CIA (or so I've heard) and not for people looking to live a life full of purpose, love, happiness, and good health. In my simple mind I think it's quite simple. You want to never work a day in your life...do a job/career that you're passionate about. You want to be loved...give love to yourself, because a person that love themselves is much better equipped to love someone else. You want to be happy...stop doing things that bring unhappiness into your life. You want to lose weight and get in good physical shape...stop feasting on foods without any nutritional value whatsoever and get off the couch and do some form of exercise. Does any of that sound like secrecy?

Please don't get me wrong. I not trying to be facetious, I just believe that the "KISS" (keep it simple sweetheart) method of life applies to most things quite favorably. And I'm certainly not knocking authors of self-help books. I read them all the time. Everything from my favorite, "Think and Grow Rich" to "The Secret." I fully believe that they serve a great purpose and a help to those that take the time to read them. However I would be remiss if I didn't point out the fact that it does take more than reading to make a difference in your life. There isn't a book out there, not even the Bible, that can truly lead someone to self-improvement if they don't apply the words, principles and the tools provided to their daily life. Reading may be fundamental, but applying what we have read can be monumental.

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