Life's Not a Beach - It's a Process


by Kevin MacAskill - Date: 2007-01-04 - Word Count: 496 Share This!

The process of process. Our day to day activities engage us fully. Our minute to minute minutia catches us up in its seeming urgency so that we fall into bed at night exhausted, but faintly satisfied with just making it through the day. But what of the time to set meaningful goals, much less achieve them? The over-achievers among us tell us we must define and refine our goals. We resist because we know intuitively that it is not an easy thing to do. It is impossible to make sense of a newspaper image by concentrating on the tiny dots of black and white which make up the shades of gray. And life's like that. It helps, it is even necessary at times, to step back and appreciate the process. With this wider perspective, you may be refreshed as by a sunset, at the end of day.

The view from here, now. Some latter-day sage once said that life is viewed forward but understood backwards. And looking backwards, you may discover that you have made more progress than you had realized. Many people of accomplishment like to tell us of their humble beginnings. They mark their success not by their attainments, but by the distance they have traveled. This seems to be a reasonable form of measurement. The greater the distance traveled, the more struggle required, the more lessons learned. Who of us has traveled and failed to learn something along the way?

Making progress. Once in my military training we had done something to irk the drill instructor. He promptly marched us up against a wall and went for a coffee. Of course, he had not given the halt command. We had no choice but to march dutifully against the wall, "marking time" until the Sergeant felt that we had learned our lesson. And learn we did. I can still remember the agony and futility of expending all that effort and not going anywhere. You may have had an experience in your life, which was similar. You will agree then, that making progress as we tramp down that lonesome road makes it all worth-while. It is a given that we will have some interesting experiences, and if fate smiles, we may join a fellow-traveler, or learn some bit of knowledge along the way.

Is the game worth the candle? To explore such imponderables as "The Purpose of Life" is beyond this modest missive. Someone once told Viktor Frankl that he was thinking of suicide. Frankl responded "Why don't you?" Not, of course, meaning that he should, but rather to prompt the distressed person to think of all the things that made life worthwhile. The challenges of life make it easy to lose sight of the big picture. Yes, it is process, but not process for its own sake. The change, growth and progress inherent in our experiences enrich us and our world. The process leads to mastery. And that may be what it is all about.

To your prosperity.

KM


Related Tags: change, growth, progress, process, accomplishment

Kevin MacAskill works at home in British Columbia, Canada, surrounded by spectacular mountain scenery. This prompts him to reflect on life and the human condition. You may use this essay in an ethical manner, providing this resource box is included.

To find the best sources for your personal growth, achievement and success, visit: http://www.prosperity-patterns.com

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