I don’t know if I really lived the earlier part of my life with a personal philosophy. Some of it may have been naturally instinctive, and some of it may have been just a part of my upbringing and guidance from my parents.
In thinking about it, a certain portion of my life just felt like being in a vehicle coasting down a hill without it being in gear. Every now and then, I would pop the clutch and begin driving where I wanted to go and what I wanted to do. Maybe putting it into gear let me get up certain hills and then coast again.
I don’t know if that is much different from most lives. When we look back, how we got where we are and how we got with people we are with sometimes seems mysterious.
What I am really saying, I guess, is that I was just doing enough. I was not living my life fully engaged all the time. Having said that, my life has been good and filled with many good things… relationships, family, jobs, and the list goes on.
Some things happen because they are beyond our control while other things happen because we let them. Being in gear and driving our life with a personal philosophy are what make an individual life more meaningful. It will also be more meaningful for all the people on and around our path.
Living an engaged life takes work. Living an inspired life takes even more.
I truly believe that having a personal philosophy will help put one’s life in the right gear and transport one to more meaningful places.
So, what is my personal philosophy?
- Live simply
- Lead with Spirit
- Always try to do the right things right
- Take time to re-soul
There are many motivating actions and ideas intertwined within my life philosophy which gives these simple statements depth, and it includes such things as community, faith, and relationships. Going back to the definition of philosophy, these four tenets make up my core attitude and beliefs of what gets me going every day and, if successful, gives me satisfaction at the end of the day.
I am among the imperfect, but I am trying to lead a more engaged life today through this philosophy.
Join the conversation. What is your personal philosophy?
“Always carry a trash bag in your car, it doesn’t take up much space, and when it gets full you can just toss it out the window…”
My personal philosophy is simple. We begin Mortimer Adler’s How to Read A Book, an analysis of normative vs positive. There is a reading list. Read the books. There is Erikson’s Childhood and Society, Erik Hoffer’s The True Believer. The latter describes the defective human; the former explains how humans develop (critical bifurcations).
Finally, Pirsig’s mediation on quality,THAT Zen book. None has made me happy. But I found God (far more rigid and demanding than one would like) The Jewish or Christian view is full of charity; it is our duty. Oh! These works will surely make you; you will have more than you ever wanted. This may assist you with healthcare expenses;no promise of health is provided. Love is not part of the curriculum; yet, you will learn how hate and how to act on it. You even find God (but His ways are beyond our understanding). Knowledge leads to truth; Truth may (may not) choose virtue. And virtue must choose sides. Robert E. Lee and Abe Lincoln were paragons of virtue. You must choose. Not choosing is impossible