The ABC’s Of A Great Life - ‘H’ is For Hozho

I was tempted to choose “harmony” for this installment of my alphabet. However, a brief moment of reflection convinced me instead to favor this Navaho term which, while encompassing and often explained as harmony, delivers so much more than that when you plumb the true depth of its meaning.

The ABC’s Of A Great Life - ‘F’ is For Failure

Failure as part of a great life? Counterintuitive, but true! Think of your very best qualities, your most hard-won strengths and your truly amazing abilities - and remember how many of them are the result of lessons learned and character forged in the hot fire of failure.

‘T’ is for the Truth

Now, I am not one of those who are going to tell you that in order to have a great life, you have to tell the whole truth, nothing but the truth, all day and every day, so help you God. That’s flat out impossible and not a little bit wrong. The little white lies that allow us to avoid hurting one another, the ability to leave out parts of an otherwise honest assessment that are irrelevant and potentially destructive and the ability to know something true and not say anything at all, because it is neither our business nor our place to do so, are vital skills that help create a great life, rather than preclude it.

“W” Is For Why Not

A great life requires many skills, abilities and traits of personality - and one of them is the capacity for pure, spontaneous fun and enjoyment. The freedom and the ability to jump into whatever bit of play or discovery that presents itself to hand is a valuable coin that buys its bearer many wondrous adventures and experiences. And who knows? That next bit of harmless fun might just be the catalyst for your next great quest or provide some keen insight into your vision for the future.

‘P’ is for Passion

What life can be great without great passion? Having something in your life about which you are passionate is a great start, but consider this: Why not create an entire life that you are passionate about - start to finish, top to bottom? Can it be done? Yes, and it’s not nearly so hard as you might think.

The ABC’s of a Great Life - ‘N’ is for NO!

There is a certain accuracy to the popular conception that the richer or more successful you are, the less you have to do of what you don’t want to do. In fact, that is in large part what drives a great many people after success - not the monetary rewards or the material possessions, but quite simply the freedom to say “No!” - no to inhumane or stifling conditions, no to demands on our time that take us away from our passions or our dreams, no to the “necessary evils” of life that plague those with less power and influence.

The ABC’s of a Great Life - ‘G’ is for Gratitude

Here’s a snippet from the growing field of “gratitude research” to chew on:

“Grateful people are happier, more optimistic, more satisfied with their lives,” says Michael McCullough, a University of Miami psychology professor. “They are more empathetic toward others. We even have a bit of evidence that grateful people are viewed as kinder, more helpful and more supportive than less-grateful people.”

–Jeff Diamant, Your mind tends to thank you for feeling so thankful, The Star-Ledger, November 26, 2003

The ABC’s Of A Great Life - ‘E’ Is For Enough

One way to live a great life is to understand and embrace the concept of enough. Like the story of the dog in the manger who growled at the livestock attempting to eat, by taking more than you need or can responsibly use, you hoard the blessings of life in such a way that neither you nor anyone else can enjoy them. We all have the right to a sound and pleasant shelter, to adequate and comfortable clothing, to meaningful and sustainable work and to healthy quantities of tasty and lovingly-prepared food. But none of us, however privileged, have the right to keep these things from another by virtue of our own gluttony - our inability to push away from the table of life after a moderate and enjoyable repast.

The ABC’s Of A Great Life - ‘D’ Is For Discovery

The pure and unadulterated joy of discovery is one that is rarely recreated through any other means, natural or otherwise. The thrill of learning something new, of seeing something great and wonderful for the first time or of finding out something amazing about yourself or another that you never knew before is one of the hallmarks of a joyous human existence and its presence or absence in our lives often forms the very tenor and depth of those lives.

The ABC’s Of A Great Life - ‘C’ Is For Create

The act of creation - bringing forth that which is within us outward into the world, in a material or ethereal form - is a vital part of a rich and fulfilling life. Unfortunately, it is a part of our lives that is often stifled well before we are old enough to realize its true meaning in our lives, and far before we are capable of understanding its true value.

Next Page »