Keeping on Track

These past weeks have been for me, a strong lesson in how easy it is (even with a wealth of experience, know-how, a measure of fortitude and tons of good intentions) for our goal of intentional living to get set aside....no, not deliberately, in this instance...but, nonetheless, lost in the hustle of everyday living...much like a 'to-do list' sometimes gets lost under a stack of things being done.

Everyday I awaken to the dilemma of wanting, on the one hand, to live this life to its fullest, yet, on the other hand, finding myself, so often, like a train derailed....derailed by the treachery of routine - routine work, routine conversations, associations, indolence, ...the simple, ordinary things of an ordinary life , the things that 'so easily beset us.' And this, in spite of resolutions to not waste time, opportunities, efforts or relationships. I find in me a struggle to live a life of meaning and significance. Each day I  resolve to stretch toward my personal mantra "I owe it to myself to see what's possible"....but some days that resolution is stillborn....'its lungs won't fill....its heart won't start.'

And I become discouraged, and I despair as I watch the days roll into weeks and months and years. And indeed I bemoan my lack of discipline - for discipline, we are told, is the bridge between goals and accomplishments. But happily, the desire for meaning and significance outweighs the obstacles that life daily
places before me, and so I pick myself up and begin anew the climb. And along the way I mark the milestones, I create some monuments, celebrate the victories, and store these in the recesses of my mind for the times when I go off track - to remind myself of how far I've come.

We've heard it said many times that there is no short-cut to anywhere worth going....and it is unlikely that we are going to get there on a straight track. Without a doubt, we are going to get off-course every now and again. But that's no excuse for quitting. We just have to get far more intentional about the journey. First, we must always keep in mind that the journey is the substance.....not the destination, and thus resolve (yes....resolve)  to enjoy it. Then travel with a journal. Document the milestones, and during your down-times, remind yourself of the victories you have already won. Keep your goals always in sight, and make sure that the reason you do what you do is big enough, and meaningful enough to keep you going.

Keep on gettin' where you're gettin' to. You may get off track sometimes, dust off despair, pick up hope and keep moving!