“Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.” ~ Robert Louis Stevenson
Sometimes we’re hard on ourselves. We don’t accomplish all that we want to, we don’t achieve that goal that we’ve been shooting for or realize that dream that we’ve so long been chasing. Don’t despair. All the work that you have done, all the groundwork you have laid, resonates in the universe. Each action has particular meaning or importance for someone and that in turn affects or appeals to someone else and a ripple effect ensues. Everything you do matters.
The end result at the conclusion of the day isn’t always the gauge to which we need to pay attention. Instead, revel in the steps that you took to get there.
“Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.” Great quote!
“I think everybody should get rich and famous and do everything they ever dreamed of so they can see that it’s not the answer.” ~ Jim Carrey
Oh, how I dream of being wealthy rich! So often I find myself convinced that having gobs of money would be the end of all my problems. I constantly enter Publishers Clearinghouse because I’m just convinced that the Prize Patrol is going to show up at my door one of these days. When the lotto gets up to those outrageous amounts, I buy tickets. The fact that just a few years ago (2012) Americans spent $69 billion buying lottery tickets goes to show that many others act on similar dreams.
Isn’t it nice to know then that these improbable dreams aren’t the answer? The rich and famous have just as many problems as we do. Maybe not money problems, per se, but they are no stranger to unhappy marriages, self-esteem issues, depression, health problems… and they probably suffer the same problems with which you find yourself struggling.
I think the real key to happiness is realizing how very rich you are right now. Rich in spirit, rich in character, rich in family and friends. You have riches beyond measure … and no amount of money in the world could top those riches. Wrap yourself in gratitude and know that you are indeed rich, right here, right now.
Have you ever dreamed of being rich and famous? Do you realize the wealth you possess right now?
Charles Allen Gilbert completed the classic black & white optical illusion in 1892. It can be seen as a pretty girl admiring her reflection in a mirror, or as an ominous skull in the background. The tableau is exquisite and the message is clear.
Illusion: the image created by imagination and having no objective reality. Things look different than they really are. Illusion is something that deceives by producing a false or misleading impression of reality, a false impression.
Do you get caught up in the constant drive to achieve some ideal and seemingly unattainable version of yourself and your life? I do. Or I should say I used to. I don’t so much anymore because after 50 years it’s finally sinking in that so much of what I see is illusion.
I see model-thin women, making self-deluding statements with their latest must-have fashions, and for years I’ve been insanely jealous but now I know that what lies beneath the veneer of confident smiles is a woman who is just as unsatisfied with her body as I am with mine.
Every day I see façades of happy couples but I know that behind the façade is a pair of individuals who are essentially miserable being married.
I see those who have so much money they couldn’t possibly spend it all in a lifetime, yet they hold on to it so tightly as if that money defines their identity and is inextricably tied to their core being. I can’t help but yearn to have that kind of money and I tell myself, with me, it would be different; I wouldn’t fall victim to its spell. But is that the truth?
I look to all the mansions and expansive homes with indulgent envy but I’m pretty sure now that the people inside are just as fucked up as the rest of us.
TS Eliot said “Humankind cannot handle very much reality.” I’d say that’s probably not far from the truth. We all seem to live in a land of illusion and for the most part, we seem to be pretty okay with it…maybe because we don’t even realize it.
So, is reality overrated? What do you think? Is illusion a preferred state?
Welcome to the grand illusion Come on in and see what’s happening Pay the price, get your tickets for the show The stage is set, the band starts playing Suddenly your heart is pounding You’re wishing secretly you were a star
But don’t be fooled by the radio The TV or the magazines They’ll show you photographs of how your life should be But they’re just someone else’s fantasies So if you think your life is complete confusion ‘Cause you never win the game Just remember that it’s a grand illusion And deep inside we’re all the same We’re all the same
So if you think your life is complete confusion Because your neighbor’s got it made Just remember that it’s a grand illusion And deep inside we’re all the same
America spells competition Join us in our blind ambition Get yourself a brand new motorcar Someday soon we’ll stop to ponder What on earth’s this spell we’re under We made the grade and still we wonder Who the hell we are
Lyrics to “The Grand Illusion” by Styx, the title track of their 1977 Grand Illusion album
