THE DIFFERENCE LIES IN THE CHOICES WE MAKE

We all get the same stuff in life. I'm referring to those things which make us happy, cry, angry, love, lose, succeed, bitter, foolish, brilliant, or just downright stupid. Because you and I are the same. You may not fancy the green bitter gourd I eat but you have your own idiosyncrasies about food like a peanut butter and mustard sandwich. I like walking boots anywhere I go and you like dark leather jackets in rain or sunny weather. I like soft soothing music to calm my hassled nerves at night while you like the loud ear-screeching sounds of an electric guitar to wake you up mornings. I guess we can put up with all that because we know that we're so much different as we are so much the same with one another.

But in things which matter in the course of trying to live a life the best we can, it would be wise to pay attention to certain things. We all aim for happiness and success. But to get there in the best possible time and in top form we must learn what or where we should put our emphasis or attention. Why? It’s because so many things could and would encroach on our territory thereby taking us off the track or derailing us from our goal. But we can do something about that.

If our emphasis is on ...

..... hard work, responsibility, determination, excellence, persistence, consistency, accountability, knowledge, self-confidence, respect, hope, faith, the willingness to learn, the ability to bounce back from a disappointment or failure, and the passion and love for doing what is right

-- we will get there no matter the road we take or challenges we face. If we put in our best effort into our goals, the universe can do no other but grant our heart's desires.

On the other hand, if we engage in ....

--- lackadaisical effort, are content with mediocrity, are lazy, can't leave our comfort zones, can't make commitments, resent authority, procrastination, evade responsibility, and would opt for the shorter easier (yet not always the smarter) way to do things

-- we won't get there, that's certain. We'll simply end up as miserable as we started - Perhaps twice as miserable. To this the universe will simply say to us -- 'Buddy, you've got a problem.'

Both kinds of activity use up the same hours, days, weeks, years and energy put into it. What would make the huge difference is on deciding which road we would choose to travel -- the road to success or the road to misery. The choice is solely ours to make.

"The trick is in what one emphasizes. We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves strong. The amount of work is the same." -- Carlos Castaneda