MyklK

I was in the first grade at Brier Crest Elementary school.  Our school had three stories and the stair wells were in the center of the building with sky lights letting the bright sunshine to diffuse down and reflect off the white tiles.  I was headed back to my class after lunch and from the top floor one of the 6th graders looked down the stairs and saw me.

“Hey kid!” he shouted, “you wanna learn something to make you real smart?”

“Sure!” I yelled.

“Pie times diameter equals circumference!  Remember that and you’ll be real smart!”

I repeated it back to myself a couple of times until I knew I wouldn’t forget it.  What a great day!  Just out of nowhere this gem of wisdom comes floating down from those great elementary school titans – the 6th graders.  I just couldn’t wait until I could achieve the 6th grade.  And with my new found key to the storehouse of knowledge I would be unstoppable!  If only I could get to the 6th grade, I’d be happy then!

Then when I got to 6th grade I learned about the Jr. high kids and how they got to go to different classes.  When I could take more of my favorite classes and have more than one teacher, then I’d be happy.

And then in Jr. High I went over to my friend Jamie’s house.  His older brothers were in high school.  They had these cool jackets with our school colors on them.  Wow, when I got to high school, I’d be happy then.

In high school I was one of the first to get my drivers’ license, due to the fact that my birthday is in the fall.  As soon as I got my license and could drive, I’d surely be happy then.

I got my car, and in a few years I was a senior in high school.  But there were so many rules.  I would really be happy when I got to college and on my own.

After college and my friends were all getting married – I’d be happy when I got married.

And after I got married everyone asked, when I’d have kids.  I’d be happy when I had a family.

Now my kids are growing up so fast, I’ll finally be happy when they are older and we can do more things as a family.  If only that would happen, then I’d be happy.

Where does this end?  I keep waiting for that day I’ll be happy!

Maybe I better stop looking for happiness then, and see about happiness now…

What about you?  Are you saying “If only… then I’d be happy?”

Happiness is a choice, not unlike contentment.  We can be happy in some pretty miserable circumstances.  I remember being very happy one summer afternoon while dancing and goofing off with friends during a terrible summer storm.  We could be grouchy that we were soaked, or we could have some fun.  We were a little too old for that, but other people were crouched in business doorways and under trees.  We were out in the streets having fun!  Same circumstances, different choices.

You have to decide what your happiness is.  You can have it today, you won’t have to wait.  You just need to decide what it is!

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I am convinced that books are the key to success. They have no power in themselves. Even the great holy books from antiquity are merely ink and paper of some sort. Their power lies in the fact that books are vessels. Vessels of knowledge. Through books we can talk with predecessors long after they’re gone. We can interact and learn from those who would be far too busy to take the time to teach us these same lessons.

I have developed a love of learning through the medium of books, and I would like to find a way to share that with anyone who is following my blog. I’m going to read through and comment on a book, and I’d invite you to participate by reading along and adding comments as we go.  By sharing our ideas that we receive from reading books, we can get more from it than simply reading and reflecting alone.

Stay tuned and I’ll let everyone know which book we’ll start with and how you can best follow along.

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What is a disciple?  No, it’s not some one dressed up in a saffron sarong trying to get you to buy a daisy at your local airport.  A disciple is simple a person who chooses to conform to a discipline.  Isn’t that a circular definition?  What’s a discipline then, something a disciple does?  Well yes, but there’s a bigger and better answer to that.

For some time I have been toying with a concept of how to live a life that mattered, hmm you could say a life of significance.  I even tried to set up a web site around the theme.  Something that I discovered was that there are small things you do that make your life very efficient and powerful. 

These are routine things, like getting ready for work.  You have a number of tasks to complete: getting out of bed, getting something to eat, taking care of morning things around the house – maybe some chores, some reading, some quiet meditation time, getting cleaned up, picking clothes, getting dressed, and getting out the door to probably got entangled in traffic.  Whatever your routine, you complete it with efficiency and in a short period of time.  Well, unless you are constantly having your pay docked, or you are getting fired for never making it into work until lunch time… in which case you have other problems we should discuss.  If you actually stopped and took time to really ponder and think through what you do in your morning routine – it very well could take you until lunch time to get out the door.

But you don’t.  You get all that done and get on to work.  What is it that makes you move through all that without even thinking about it.  Is it the fact that it’s become routine?  Often while all these events take place you have time to listen to the news, chat with family members, or let your mind wander.

If you stop and think about it, you have a ton of these little micro routines in your every day life.  I was calling them micro rituals for a time, but I think the term discipline is more appropriate.

It is these little disciplines that can make a huge difference in your life.  So become a disciple, be a person that submits to discipline.  Much more on this later.

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