As I was reading, an old book; actually a collection of
Readers Digest articles and this one from the year 1950, I was truly
enlightened by the wisdom of its author. The title was: Do What You Want- and
Live Longer. The author was a doctor by the name of Thurman B. Rice. No one
calls their kid Thurman anymore (that I know of) but the topic is a appropriate
for today as then; with the “jury still being out” with his “on the side”
advice about not having your windows open while sleeping, taking cold showers
in the morning, and exercising has waxed and waned in opinion since then.
He shocks some readers at the outset by stating that a
client mom was worried because her Tommy would not eat his spinach when he
suggested giving him strawberries with cream instead. He went to explain that
vitamins and minerals were packed in those strawberries and cream and since
Tommy loved them, he would eat them; problem solved. The article continued with
how we often deny ourselves the “strawberry and cream” of our lives in many
ways and also some great stories of others who found the strawberry patch of
purpose in their life before it was too late.
I wanted to share
just a few sentences which jumped off the page to me, with you.
“You’re not truly living unless you get a kick out of life;
you’re simply existing”.
That hit home with me. As a life and legacy coach ™ I’m
always helping people to live with balance. To help others, I first have to
help myself and this was a good reminder to treat every day as the gift that it
is and to enjoy every moment.
Another excerpt that resounded with my soul was this: “The
world is full of good and pleasant things put there for our enjoyment; sun and rain
and food and sleep and love and play and laughter. (Sounds a lot like my Major8 ™ to me; author’s note). If we turn our backs on them, are we not guilty of
ingratitude to their Creator?”
One word in the above paragraph stood out to me: “rain”. Who
of us thinks of rain as a cause for enjoyment (or “snow” during this time here
in Wisconsin where I live)? Sure, maybe when we were kids but now? Friend, I
think that is the author’s point; we need to be “kids” again! Also I think that
the author makes a very good point as far as these things being gifts to us. How
would you and I feel if we gave a gift to someone and they did not use or
appreciate it? Oh, the ingratitude!
The last paragraph I think is his most powerful. “The really
successful man is the fellow who gets paid for doing the thing he likes to do.
He’ll not only be happier but the chances are he’ll live longer, too. In the Book
of Proverbs it is written:
“A merry heart doeth good like a medicine.” There’s
no other medicine to be compared with it”.
Ter Scott
Author and Publisher
PS. If you were a friend that I hadn’t seen for a while and
we met again and you asked me, “What are you doing now?” I would hand you my “Life
and Legacy” business card and tell you “I help people make money doing what
they love”, when can we have coffee sometime? Now if you live anywhere in the
world and we meet through my articles as we are now, I am telling you (yes,
you) that we need to get together sometime; and we can do so via email. Our first
email chat is free and if you’d like to pursue further email “chats” there may
or may not be a fee, depending on the situation. To start a chat with me,
complete a response form: CLICK HERE.
PSS. CLICK HERE to get my FREE book of the day!
