YOLO.

In the last section, we discussed how "Attention influences direction, which determines destination." We pinpointed that the things you pay attention to direct the path you are on, which ultimately decides where you'd end up. I asked you what some of your goals were, and whether you were on the right track to achieve those things.

Reflect on your answers for a moment. (If you didn't participate, think about these things for a moment.)

A middle-aged man decides he wants to compete in a marathon that's two months away. He has all the right reasons for competing; it would be fun, support the research of a certain medical issue in the community, and overall help him improve his personal health. He commits to the event, and sends in his application to compete. Now, you as a reader, choose which two scenarios might lead to a successful marathon experience:

1. He goes shopping for Converse High-Tops, eats McDonalds every day for the next two months, plays fantasy football 25 hours a week, watches Track & Field events on Youtube twice a day, and reads an article about running every night before bed.
2. He buys a pair of high-quality running shoes, eats a balanced and nutritious diet, runs daily, invests in a stopwatch to record his times, conducts research on successful methods of training for a marathon, and completes a physical exam with his primary care physician.

You'd have to be a knucklehead to get that one wrong. Interestingly enough, however, many people don't realize this applies to other areas of life too. The things you invest your time, money, and energy in are the same things your future is built upon. You can't expect to be fit if you never exercise. You can't expect to be rich, if you never work. You can't expect to become a master pianist if you never practice. Yes, there are exceptions, but chances are that isn't you. 

So, knowing this, why do so many people do things halfheartedly? This applies to the religious and non-religious alike. Why do religious people say they love God, yet fail to love people? Why do people wish to be rich, yet never want to take risks. Why do people sign up for the gym on January 1st, but stop going by March?

This blog isn't a challenge to be religious, but instead a challenge to be real. 

• What is your real GOAL? 
• What do you desire to do, or be, more than anything else in the world? 
• Are the risks involved in reaching this worth it?
• Are you moving towards that?

I know it feels like these questions are almost exactly like the ones I asked in the previous post, but that's because I can't stress enough how important this is. You've heard it, YOLO. You Only Live Once. Is this an excuse for stupidity, or a CALL TO ACTION? You have one chance at this thing called "life", and I just want to make sure you are completely satisfied with how you choose to live it.

See you soon.