Choose Wisely

January 4th, 2016

As this New Year begins, you have to ask yourself this question – “Am I going to be controlled by what happens around me or by what I choose inside of me?”

Are you going to let what happens somewhere in the world determine your happiness level or are you going to work on you? Are you going to fill yourself with so much love that everyone that comes into contact with you will be uplifted or are you going to bring them down to a state of worry and pessimism? Choose wisely, you legacy is being written as you decide.

Speaking of legacies, at your funeral and for years to come, all who knew you and loved you will not spend more than a minute and a half talking about how much you weighed or what you owned. They will be talking about how much you loved, about how you were always there to lend a helping hand or supportive word or two. They will talk about your smile and your laugh and the twinkle in your eye. They will talk about your passions and the things they learned from you. They will remember how you rose up as the voice of love and optimism when the inevitable dark nights came….or will they? 

Will they instead talk about your constant criticisms or your obsession with your finances or the news or the local gossip or your dark moods when the market dipped or your political party wasn’t elected? Will they talk about you as loving or not? Choose wisely, your legacy is being written as you decide.

What happens in your family, neighborhood, country and the world will always influence you but it is always your choice with how you will respond. The whisper of your heart will always be more powerful then the shouts of headlines but it all depends on which one you choose to make important.

Every moment of your life holds the possibility of a new beginning. Take this one right now. Choose to love more than you have been. Choose to send blessings where needed and help wherever you can but remember that your life is you first priority and you are, for good or bad, going to make an impact on many, many other lives. Yes, you will be remembered but how you will be remembered is entirely up to you. Choose wisely, your legacy is being written as you decide.  

Patrick McBride’s Sundrops On Life