Where are you heading?

Existence.
- Defined by the online dictionary as a "state of being."

Life.
- Defined by the online dictionary as "the condition that distinguishes organisms from inorganic objects and dead organisms, being manifested by growth through metabolism, reproduction,and the power of adaptation to environment through changes originating internally."

You may be finding it difficult for you to understand why I am writing about these two objects. The answer is not simple, nor complex. I mean I actually don't have a concrete, nailed to the floor answer for you. I just want you to pose your own questions to life. I ask YOU are you existing or are you living? After all, "in the end its not the years in your life that count, its the life in your years!" (Abraham Lincoln).

Are you standing back letting the days pass you by? Are you getting the daily dose of life you have always wanted? Are you doing the things you want to do in life before its to late? Are you a statue being subjected to mother nature getting weathered and frail?

"Listen don’t worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubblegum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that
never crossed your worried mind. Don’t feel guilty if you don’t know what you want to do with your life. I know some pretty interesting 40 year olds who still don't know what they want to do (my aunt). Money does NOT = L.I.F.E. Enjoy your body, use it every way you can…don’t be afraid of it, or what other people think of it, it’s the greatest instrument you’ll ever own. Get to know your parents, you never know when they’ll be gone for good. Be nice to your siblings; they are the best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future Understand that friends come and go,but for the precious few you should hold on."

I recommend you Sing aloud....Dance....make a fool of yourself. Live!

The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, the education, the money, than circumstances, than failure, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company…a church…or even a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that d ay. We cannot change our past…we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. And so it is with you…we are in charge of our attitudes!

Life is like...

Life is like the ocean tide. If you swim against it then you will tire. Be warned...floating on it most often times carries you out to sea; however if you tread water, you'll be there to see the morning sunrise over the horizon (MRA).

Michael R. Athey

Fear and Doubt...Ain't no thang!

Doubt: a status between belief and disbelief. It is uncertainty or distrust of a fact, an action, a motive, or a decision. It brings into question some notion of reality, and may involve delaying relevant action out of concern that one might be mistaken or at fault. Fear: emotional response to tangible and realistic dangers. Fear should be distinguished from anxiety, an emotion that often arises out of proportion to the actual threat or danger involved, and can be subjectively experienced without any specific attention to the threatening object.

Don't waste your life in doubts and fears: spend yourself on the work before you, well assured that the right performance of this hour's duties will be the best preparation for the hours or ages that follow it (RWE).


Michael R. Athey

Life Components

Vulnerability, Fragility, the part of life where you are afraid of being a lone and hurt. Those things. The things that are apart of your past…the things you don’t want to last but will always stare you in the face in every situation. Things you can’t really figure out how to get around. You worry and stress how to cope with these things. Here is the answer….don’t try to get rid of them. For one it’s impossible. They will always be there to more or less say haunt you. However, that isn’t what they are doing. They are taking your character, your strength, your sanity and making them stronger. I know the toll is tough to take at first and for a while. There is a breaking point, believe me there is! You realize it and then you are in the clear. Keep in mind that it is always dark before it is light. Things will come around. They always do. Life is a series of tests and these are components making up life. No need at the end of the beaten path lay a meadow of flowers where you can rest your head. Its just the will it takes to get there to see this heavenly site. If you are willing to give what you aren’t going to get out then we need a new direction. A direction that can guide you to the light at the end of the tunnel. If what you are doing isn’t just for you then take a different path at the fork in the road. Seize the opportunity. If you look in your life at the certain things you keep going back to…incorporate that in your life…because whether you get it or not…that is what makes you happy and if you can produce happiness…then you are already smelling the scent of wildflowers!

Michael R. Athey