Do you know
what the five essential traits, beliefs or life mindsets are for a well lived
life? Here are mine – wisdom,
discernment, faith, integrity and action.
Let me explain why I feel these are the vital ones and yes, there are
others, but if you live with just these you are headed in the right direction
in creating an amazing life with fewer regrets, less stress and greater inner
peace.
But, first
why have I chosen just these five as the essentials? Well, it wasn’t easy as I
have been on a very active journey for over forty years of study, learning,
evaluating and considering. I read on
average - 2 books a week (and have for many years) by a wide variety of authors
and I have learned a great deal about what does matter and what doesn’t in
life. What works and what doesn’t and
what to practice and what to let go of. Let me add however that I am not there yet,
not even close as I am a student of life and not by and means an expert. But, you are reading this so I am making some
progress.
I chose
these five for three reasons. 1) What have I learned that I wish I had learned
earlier. 2)What have I learned that has made life more peaceful and filled with
joy and 3) What have I learned that I wish I had avoided or let go of sooner.
So, now the
five;
Wisdom –
First – wisdom is not information, intelligence, maturity, insight, character, knowledge,
experience or lessons learned. It is the
willingness and ability to blend all of these into a lifestyle that contributes
to success, happiness, inner peace, contentment and ease of living no matter
what you have faced, dealt with, overcome or has hit you like a 2x4 when you
weren’t looking. It’s the ability to
face all circumstances, situations, people, failure, adversity and pain with a
life view that shouts – I can’t control everything or everyone but I can
control myself and I can learn to lean on God for guidance and not my
self-sufficiency whether I am faced with trials and struggle or success and
prosperity. Wisdom is simply living
wisely according to what is and not what was or you hope will one day be.
We all want
success and happiness but we don’t always get to choose what will bring these
to us. We all want less adversity,
struggle and pain but we are the ones who get to decide what it means, how we
react to it, what we learn and how it impacts every area of our life. That my friends is wisdom.
Discernment
– The ability to determine what is important, relevant or necessary to achieve
a worthwhile life includes the ability to choose wisely. Today we have hundreds if not thousands of
options, choices and directions we could go but just because it’s easy, quick
or good doesn’t make it right.
Discernment is the ability to consider both the short term impact of
choices, decisions and actions. When you
live with this as a mindset you will live with less regret, disappointment and
frustration. It doesn’t mean you will
have fewer problems or even less failure but you will be better equipped to
deal with these when you choose with maturity, consideration and a sense of
reality.
Faith – I’m
not just referring here to spiritual but life faith. Yes, I believe it is necessary to have faith
in God but He also expects us to have faith in ourselves, our desires, dreams
and goals. By this I am by no means
suggesting that our human faith in life will ever equal, replace or dismiss our
faith in God but without faith in ourselves it is very difficult to have faith
in anything else. Faith is simply
believing in advance what you can’t see, prove or validate with your human
experience, intelligence or knowledge.
Faith is hope that includes belief, courage, will and accepting that you
can’t always control what happens but you can always control your reactions and/or
responses to what happens. Faith is a
real test of your inner ability to trust life regardless of its trials,
successes, disappointments and even failures.
Integrity –
We are living in a world that is filled with uncertainty, a lack of congruence
when it comes to words and actions and is riddled with greed and
self-absorption. And the ultimate consequences are a lack of personal,
relationship and business integrity.
Yes, there are many people who really say what they mean and mean what
they say, but often separating these folks from the majority of society is
becoming very difficult. Integrity is
becoming a lost behavior in many ways in areas of society and the outcomes are
– chaos, dysfunction, emotional outbursts and a lack of trust to mention a
few. Integrity is doing what is right
not what you think or believe is right as “right” can be defined differently by
everyone. It is honoring basic fundamental
human beliefs and values that add trustworthiness to relationships and human
value.
Action –
Decisions, goals, dreams and plans without actions are meaningless. You would
be amazed at how many people want better life outcomes in some areas of their
lives and plan, dream and hope but never act.
What’s the point in spending time in these activities if you fail to
move forward? Action does not guarantee
success or failure, ease or struggle, positive or negative results but one
thing is for sure – without it you will never achieve anything. Let me repeat to achieve you must act. It doesn’t matter whether it’s losing weight,
becoming a millionaire or finding life joy and happiness – you have to
act. Acting is never easy as it never
guarantees you the results or outcomes you desire but often the process can
teach you about what really matters in life.
In other words, if you act and as you move forward you fell less
comfortable with your outcomes along the way it may be time to let go of
something and embrace something else or new.
But in the end sooner or later you must act if you want to achieve
anything.
Why not
consider these and how you are doing when it comes to the quality of your life? Go for it, what have you got to lose.
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