No. 1076 - DON'T BE SHORT-SIGHTED!

No. 1076

Jim Davidson -- NEWSPAPER COLUMN

DON’T BE SHORT-SIGHTED!

Have you ever known anyone who was short-sighted? To give you some insight into what I am asking, it might be well to give you the definition of this word. According to the dictionary it means, “Unable to see clearly at a distance; myopic and lacking foresight.” For my purpose here, I want to focus on “foresight,” as this simply means to see or look into the future.
Sadly, when it comes to thinking, planning or looking into the future, and what they can do to improve their lot in life, most people do very little planning and are laboring under a mountain of debt, daily pressure and stress. If I am talking about you or someone you love, please read on.
There have been times in my life when I wished I had a crystal ball and could see the future clearly and what life held for me. Of course, this is not possible for any of us and we are left just to have faith and optimism that life will be good and that we will be happy and achieve some measure of success. Success means different things to different people. For some people it may mean having a lot of money, for others holding a particular office or becoming a champion at something. For still others it may mean having good health, a good family, a nice home, car, and being able to pay their bills on time and a savings account for a rainy day.
But here is the reality of what I am saying: success is what happens when preparation meets opportunity. The key to achieving most anything we want is to spend some time in preparation: spiritually, mentally and physically. For example, in the educational realm we cannot expect to be named the dean of the law school if we do not have a college degree, and so it is with any other goal or ideal we wish to reach. In short, we must be or get prepared to achieve whatever it is we wish to achieve.
Now when I say, don’t be short-sighted, what I am really talking about is developing a mind-set that we can achieve most anything we wish to achieve, if we decide what it is and make up our mind to get prepared to achieve it. Here is the bottom line, and why so many people fail to achieve any real measure of success. Studies have revealed that only 5 percent of adults in our country have any definite, written goals they are striving to achieve. Without knowing what they want, it is impossible to achieve it, and this leads to confusion and the feeling that the system is rigged against them.
Reality says that once we decide what we want, with persistence and determination it is just a question of time until we achieve it. During this process the most critical thing of all is to never stop learning. Once we know what we want we can read good books that move us closer, especially self-help books that keep our attitude positive, and associate with others who have succeeded in our field. We should actually become a sponge and learn everything we can about our chosen field. It is exciting to realize that we can become a national expert in the field of our interest in just five years. Above all, don’t waste valuable time with people or activities that will not move us closer to our chosen goals in life. Some yes, but not too much.
Something I have found that has helped me more than anything else is to learn five new words each week and what they mean, as developing a good vocabulary will take us further, faster than perhaps any other way. Soon, you find that other people will start asking you for advice. The great thing about it is that you will know the answers and can help them.
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(Editor’s Note: Bookcase for Every Child – Changing Lives & Futures – ONE AT A TIME. Please visit our website: www.bookcaseforeverychild.com)