White Orchid Melody

Personal development is an ongoing process throughout one’s life.  No one is ever a perfect display of everything for which they have potential.  A few virtues I’d like to expand upon in the new year are gratitude, structure, and diligence. 

1.  Gratitude

In our world of manic consumption, many of us never take the time for simple gratitude.  Are we grateful for what we have, or distracted by our constant quest for more?  I think sometimes it is a challenge to see the bright side of life when everything seems to be going wrong.  It is easier to focus on the problems and complain about everything.  But if you take a moment to evaluate all the things that comprise your life, you quickly recognize that not everything is bad.  In fact, most of life is pretty good.  There are probably just one or two things creating a black cloud over the rest.  So instead of focusing on the storm clouds, look at everything that needs the rain to survive. 

2.  Structure

I have struggled with structure since leaving the corporate world.  Everything was so structured there, I rebelled against all of that when I quit working.  I’m a natural procrastinator anyway, which doesn’t help.  Some people thrive on structure and organization.  I’m a bit more free flowing than that.  I can work like crazy under a deadline, but in my daily life, I prefer to be a bit more relaxed about things.  The problem with this is I’m sometimes not as productive as I could be.  And then there’s the procrastination issue.  The things I don’t want to do, don’t get done for a very long time, such as filing.  I like to have things neat and organized and know where they are, but I really hate to file.  The best solution is to file as I go, and not let things pile up.  I’m not very good about that, but I’m trying to improve.  In reality, things are about to get much more structured for me.  The baby will be on a certain feeding/sleeping cycle which I’ll have to work with and not against.  So, I’m trying to practice a more structured approach to my day now, before I’m forced into it!

3.  Diligence

This goes hand in hand with structure.  The dictionary defines diligence as: constant and earnest effort to accomplish what is undertaken; persistent exertion of body or mind.  I can be very diligent about some things.  I ran a marthon, which took a persistent exertion of body and mind, during both training and the actual feat.  But in other areas, I let my doubts (see point 1) or my procrastination (see point 2) get the best of me.  This is particularly true in my business endeavors.  Working on your own requires a great deal of discipline and confidence in order to persist.  I tend to get discouraged and question my path.  “Is this really the best use of my time?”  Often I’m asking that question far too soon in the process when it is easy to answer “no.”  There are no guaranteed results for anything.  But through a diligent effort, one may find that they have at least exhausted the possibilities. 

In summary, I hope to have a brighter perspective of life and be grateful for all my blessings.  I seek to cultivate a more structured and productive approach to daily life.  And I will exercise my capacity for diligence to follow through with opportunities that may cross my path, without letting fear deter me.  I’m sure there are many other virtues I could improve upon in my life, but these I feel will cultivate a happier outlook and a stronger sense of well-being.