+a commoner with an uncommon vision+

On what constitutes a good life

2006-05-31T14:28:00.000+08:00

The ultimate expression of life is not a paycheck. The ultimate expression of life is not a Mercedes or Ferrari. The ultimate expression of life is not a million dollars or a bank account or a bungalow. Here's the ultimate expression of life in my opinion, and that is living the good life. Here's what we must ask constantly, "What is it for me that would be a good life?" And you have to keep going over and over the list. What would constitute a good life? I've got a short list.

1) Number one, productivity. You won't be happy if you don't produce. The game of life is not rest. We must rest, but only long enough to gather strength to get back to productivity. What's the reason for the seasons and the seeds, the soil and the sunshine, the rain and the miracle of life? It's to see what you can do with it. To try your hand, other people have tried their hand; here's what they did. You try your hand to see what you can do. So part of life is productivity.

2) Next are good friends. Friendship is probably the greatest support system in the world. Don't deny yourself the time to develop this support system. Nothing can match it. It's extraordinary in its benefit. Friends are those wonderful people who know all about you and still like you. A few years ago I lost one of my dearest friends. He died at age 53 - heart attack. David is gone, but he was one of my very special friends. I used to say of David that if I was stuck in a foreign jail somewhere accused unduly and if they would allow me one phone call, I would call David. Why? He would come and get me. That's a friend. Somebody who would come and get you. Now we've all got casual friends. And if you called them they would say, "Hey, if you get back, call me we'll have a party." So you've got to have both, real friends and casual friends.

3) Next on the list of a good life is your culture. Your language, your music, the ceremonies, the traditions, the dress. All of that is so vitally important that you must keep it alive. In fact it is the uniqueness of all of us that when blended together brings vitality, energy, power, influence, uniqueness and rightness to the world.

4) Next is your spirituality. It helps to form the foundation of the family that builds the nation. And make sure you study, practice and teach. Don't be careless about the spiritual part of your nature, it's what makes us who we are, different from animals, dogs, cats, birds and mice. Spirituality.

5) Next - here's what my parents taught me. Don't miss anything. Don't miss the game. Don't miss the performance, don't miss the movie, don't miss the show, don't miss the dance. Go to everything you possible can. Buy a ticket to everything you possibly can. Go see everything and experience all you possibly can. This has served me so well to this day. Just before my father died at age 93 if you were to call him at 10:30 or 11:00 at night, he wouldn't be home. He was at the rodeo, he was watching the kids play softball, he was listening to the concert, he was at church, he was somewhere every night.

Live a vital life. Here's one of the reasons why. If you live well, you will earn well. If you live well it will show in your face, it will show in the texture of your voice. There will be something unique and magical about you if you live well. It will infuse not only your personal life but also your business life. And it will give you a vitality nothing else can give.

6) Next are your family and the inner circle. Invest in them and they'll invest in you. Inspire them and they'll inspire you. With your inner circle take care of the details. When my father was still alive, I used to call him when I traveled. He'd have breakfast most every morning with the farmers. Little place called The Decoy Inn out in the country where we lived in Southwest Idaho. So Papa would go there and have breakfast and I'd call him just to give him a special day. Now if I was in Israel, I'd have to get up in the middle of the night, but it only took five minutes, ten minutes. So I'd call Papa and they'd bring him the phone. I'd say, "Papa I'm in Israel." He'd say, "Israel! Son, how are things in Israel?" He'd talk real loud so everybody could hear - my son's calling me from Israel. I'd say, "Papa last night they gave me a reception on the rooftop underneath the stars overlooking the Mediterranean." He'd say, "Son, a reception on the rooftop underneath the stars overlooking the Mediterranean." Now everybody knows the story. It only took 5 - 10 minutes, but what a special day for my father, age 93.

If a father walks out of the house and he can still feel his daughter's kiss on his face all day, he's a powerful man. If a husband walks out of the house and he can still feel the imprint of his wife's arms around his body he's invincible all day. It's the special stuff with the inner circle that makes you strong and powerful and influential. So don't miss that opportunity. Here's the greatest value. The prophet said, "There are many virtues and values, but here's the greatest, one person caring for another." There is no greater value than love. Better to live in a tent on the beach with someone you love than to live in a mansion by yourself. One person caring for another, that's one of life's greatest expressions.

So make sure in your busy day to remember the true purpose and the reasons you do what you do. May you truly live the kind of life that will bring the fruit and rewards that you desire.

Another quality article by Jim Rohn.

everyone is the same.

2005-07-12T21:03:00.000+08:00

Looking back at what happened in London, I think this is not holy war but bullshit war. I have no ideas what those jihads are up to, but one thing I does know is that 33% of the world's population is made up of Christians who believe that Christianity is the only true religion; 25% of the world's population is made up of people who believe that Islam is the only true religion; 14% of the world's population is made up of Hindus who are convinced that Hinduism is the only true religion and these 72% of people would be hard pressed to convince the 4% of who are Buddhists ( me) that they are wrong and should change their beliefs. And so it is in most religions, I think they should be seen as opinions, because no one can decide which belief is right or true until of course they die, and find out for themselves. Force changes nothing. Violence changes nothing. And terrorism doesn't change anything either.No one has ever come back to earth to tell us what goes on on the other side. And that is as it should be, because it allows us to respect each other's beliefs, as different as they may be from our own. The enemy we have to overcome is not in the Occident or the Orient, not in the Middle East or the Far East.

I think the enemy is intolerance, in all its forms. So pls readers, be tolerant.

Call Back

2005-04-23T01:48:00.000+08:00

I'am back in action. = )

Daily Wisdom

2005-02-27T09:58:00.000+08:00

"Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools, because they have to say something."
Plato

Daily Wisdom

2005-01-30T15:15:00.000+08:00

"Do what you felt in your heart to be right, for you'l be criticized anyway. You will be damned if you don't, and damned if you do." Eleanor

In my words

2005-01-16T08:57:00.000+08:00

To all musicians,

I do not know the secret of being exceptional, but this I know, that to be unrivalled:

"LEARN TO BEHAVE EXTRAORDINARY, AND PRACTICE UNSUALLY."

The rest will follows.

Daily Wisdom

2004-12-31T01:21:00.000+08:00

To all habitue of this blog,

If there is anything you can learn from here before the end of the year, remember this for life:

"The older I get the more I realize that service to others is the only way to stay happy. If we do nothing to benefit others, we will do nothing to benefit ourselves."

Happy 2005!

Daily Wisdom

2004-12-29T22:09:00.000+08:00

“The person who makes a success of living is the one who sees his goals steadily and aims for it unswervingly." Cecil B. DeMille

Daily Wisdom

2004-12-27T22:20:00.000+08:00

"The thing always happens that you really believe in; and the belief in a thing makes it happen." Frank Lloyd Wright

Daily Wisdom

2004-12-21T23:01:00.000+08:00

"One thing I know for certain is that I don't know a thing for certain"
Annoymous

Daily Wisdom

2004-12-18T23:40:00.000+08:00

"If anything can go wrong, it will."
Murphy

Jazz and my ambition

2004-11-30T16:50:00.000+08:00

Ok shall heed advice, write something else for today. Many friends has been asking me, why so much 'jazz' about me, when I'am more 'known' for being into dizi and chinese music. Well the fact is, I started proclivity towards jazz music and its sub types such as bebop, fusion, new age stuffs etc, long before I came into contact with the local chinese music circles. I must say that the cause of this is mostly due to the influence from my father who is, oh well, quite a well known pianist in Singapore. From young I would listen to ambiguous songs by the hardcore jazz aficionados such as george benson, lee ritenour(where I got my name; this guy's nick is Rit), bob james(see link), miles davies, count basie etc, and be stupendously influenced by their styles and adlips(cadenza without scores). It was then when I was primary 1, out of curiosity, I joined the school chinese music orchestra and played the liuqin intially, before getting transferred to dizi, and which i still plays it hitherto, and never had I imagined that one day I would make it big in it. But afterall, jazz is still what i loves, and if chances shine, I will show all of you out there that one day I will become the bob james of Singapore. =D

Daily Wisdom

2004-11-25T01:12:00.000+08:00

Happiness is the progressive realisation towards a worthy ideal. (Not bad i like this. hehe)
Earl Nightingale

Daily Wisdom

2004-11-15T20:21:00.000+08:00

"The greatest mistake a man can make it to be afraid of making one."
Hubbard

Daily Wisdom

2004-10-31T22:30:00.000+08:00

"Men are disturbed not by things that happen, but by their opinion of the things that happen."
Epictetus

Daily Wisdom

2004-10-31T01:05:00.000+08:00

"The purpose of life is a life of purpose."
Deepak Chopra

Daily Wisdom

2004-10-29T20:28:00.000+08:00

"I never let schooling interfere with my education."
Gaileo

Daily Wisdom

2004-10-20T21:39:00.000+08:00

"The reward for work well done is the opportunity to do more."
Jonas Salk

Hello

2004-10-19T19:58:00.000+08:00

Hi everyone, this is my blog. Can always come here to learn something. =)