I'm sure you've heard the phase "the ends
justifies the means". It is used to explain capital
punishment, global wars, suspension of rights and
freedoms as well as smaller, more personal
decisions. Have you ever stopped to think about how
often you use that logic in your daily
decision-making?
Last
week's message asked you to examine your
life to see if you are following your dreams
or the
dreams of others. As I said then, I realize that we
all have responsibilities to others and not every
one of those responsibilities will be in line with
our own personal goals and dreams. But I want to
urge you to be careful! Be vigilant about what you
are accepting in you life. After all - it's YOUR
life.
When I talk to "Immortals" (that's what I call
people who live as though they are always going to
have "enough time") I often hear them using some
variation of "the ends justifies the means" logic.
"I hate my job, but I'm only staying here until
we can save up enough for a down-payment on the
house of our dreams."
"The marriage is over, but we're going to stay
together until the kids move off to college."
"I know smoking is bad for me, but I can't quit
now because this is the busiest and most stressful
time of year at work."
"I should lose weight, but I'm going to wait
until January so that I can enjoy all of the goodies
of the holiday season."
Does any of this sound familiar to you?
Once you have acknowledged that you are not
guaranteed any set amount of time on this earth, you
leave the world of the "Immortals" and enter the
world of the "Mortals". In this world, you make a
sobering realization about "the ends justifies the
means". And that realization is:
If you don't make it to "the end" then you are
stuck with "the means".
This week, I want you to ask yourself this
simple, yet incredibly profound question:
"If 'the means' were all that I ended up with,
could I accept that?"
If you are honest with yourself, your answer will
tell you what to do next.
ENJOY NOW!
