No. 527 - DO "NOT" EVEN THINK ABOUT IT!

No. 527

Jim Davidson Ñ NEWSPAPER COLUMN

DO "NOT" EVEN THINK ABOUT IT!

It seems like the dark ages, but can you remember back in the days when we didn't have computers or word processors? It has not really been that long ago. Like I said, it just seems like it. In those days there were millions of times when a secretary would labor over a long letter, and after getting it neatly typed would discover a mistake that could not be corrected and would have to type it all over again.
Along these lines I remember the late Dr. Ken McFarland telling about turning down a speech in Alaska, but when he read the letter his secretary had typed, she left out the little word "not." When he confronted her, she said, "You want me to type that whole big old letter over just because I left out that one little word, not?" He said, "You think about it. What would have happened if Moses had left that one little word out of the Ten Commandments?"
To be sure, the word "Not" is a powerful little word when used in the proper way. A while back my good friend Charles Rosson sent me something by an unknown author that will demonstrate the truth of that statement in a powerful way. What is even more significant is the tremendous message the article carries and how it applies to each of our lives. As you read this, I hope you will stop for a moment between each thought and ponder it, give it time to soak in, and think about the way it could be meaningful to you. Have you ever thought about the fact that what we choose to put into our minds comes out in our lives? If we want greater success and happiness, we must think better thoughts. It's as simple as that.
This article is written in "first person" so I hope you can see yourself as I go along.
"Do not (there is that word "not" so begin to look for it) undermine your worth by comparing yourself with others. It is because we are different that each of us is special." "Do not set your goals by what other people deem important. Only you know what is best for you." "Do not take for granted the things closest to your heart. Cling to them as you would your life, for without them, life is meaningless." "Do not let your life slip through your fingers by living in the past nor for the future. By living your life one day at a time, you live all the days of your life."
"Do not give up when you still have something to give. Nothing is really over until the moment you stop trying. It is a fragile thread that binds us to each other." "Do not be afraid to encounter risks. It is by taking chances that we learn how to be brave." "Do not shut love out of your life by saying it is impossible to find. The quickest way to receive love is to give love; the fastest way to lose love is to hold it too tightly." "In addition, the best way to keep love is to give it wings. Do not dismiss your dreams. To be without dreams is to be without hope; to be without hope is to be without purpose."
"Do not run through life so fast that you forget not only where you have been, but also where you are going. Life is not a race but a journey to be savored each step of the way."
Well, that's the end of it, but I have an observation or two I would like to share. When I was much younger, void of life's valuable experiences and not having acquired a passion for reading and learning, I looked at life in a completely different way. As many young people living today look back over their lives, I suspect that will also be true for them when they get older.
To me, and I may be completely wrong, I believe the problem for many young people today is that they are too shallow. This is to say, the things they are spending their time doing will not produce the kind of life they desire when they get older. To be sure, young people today have pressures and choices that my generation did not have to deal with. My sincere prayer is that the vast majority of them will turn out to be fine people and continue to mature into responsible leaders that our nation will need in the important years ahead. Let's hope so.
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(EDITOR'S NOTE: Jim Davidson is a motivational speaker and syndicated columnist. You may contact him at 2 Bentley Drive, Conway, AR 72034.)