Tributum Newsletter #25
Hello
As Tributum entered its 3rd year I was a bit uncertain whether we were exiting or entering the “terrible two’s”. But here’s hoping for a “third year lucky”. Whatever the outcome, at this stage I have joy. Joy…why not happiness you may ask?
Spending some time on the internet I came across a speech by actor Mathew McConaughey on YouTube. He describes happiness as an emotional outcome to an event – my team wins I am happy versus my team loses and I am unhappy. I score good marks and I am happy, or I fail and I am unhappy.
Joy, however, is not a response to an outcome. To me it’s a way of life. The joy of putting in a good day’s work. The joy of spending time with family and friends. The joy of a new day. No matter the outcome. Joy – whether my work was successful or not, whether my family is wealthy or not, whether the new day dawns with sunshine or rain. Find joy in what you do and how you do it, not just the emotion flowing from the outcome.
I almost forgot to do this Newsletter. That would have been the first miss in 24 months, breaking a streak. Depending on your enjoyment factor of these newsletter maybe I should have. But I didn’t. Why? Because breaking the streak is something I don’t want to do, which means posting the newsletter it is something I will keep on doing.
The masters we don’t serve are as important as those we do serve. If you don’t know where you want to be, what you want to do, what your success is, the place to start is to define what it is not. By not watching that extra episode of Friends and going to bed early you get the sleep you need so you can get up early to be at work on time. By not going into that bar after work every day you get to go exercise. By not spending all that time at the office you get to spend it with your loved ones. By not wasting time doing what you do not want or need to do, you will free up the time, the energy, the courage to do what you want or need to do. I repeat – the masters you do not serve are as important as those you do serve.
Comparison is the thief of joy. Stop comparing yourself to others – their cars, their families their jobs, their “happiness”. You don’t really know what they are going through anyway. Only compare yourself with yourself. Did I do better today than yesterday – can I be a better spouse, father, employee or employer? Make the changes that are necessary. Find out which masters you will not serve and focus on those that you want to serve. You may not be happy all the time, but you will have joy. Don’t just be alive, go out and live! Until next time, stay safe.