the Promise land

It is known that setting goals and earning rewards is the holy grail of self-motivation, but the task of setting goals and coming up with motivating rewards can be unmotivating in itself. 

Try to recruit our most beloved unit of measurement: a dollar.

If, like me, you have lost trust in yourself, this is a great place to make a U-turn. Make a promise to yourself and keep it. When you do - add $1 to your Promises Kept jar :)

The Promises Kept jar is for rewards. Movies? Fro-yo? New boots? Vacation? Treat yo'self! You earned it.

I set aside a budget of $300 / mo for 'fun and promises kept', so that's about 10 promises per day. Right now that's more than I'm willing to promise, so day 1: 6 promises to keep. Right now I have $0, but we'll see how it goes :)

In science it is common practice to plot occurrences vs. time with time in the x-axis. This is very practical, but let us philosophize: does this suggest that time represents a movement forward? The time since the beginning of time is always increasing. Perhaps it's more appropriate to say that time grows, rather than moves forward, just like the collection of historic files is ever-increasing...

Think of a tree. It starts out as a seedling, which sprouts and tends to the surface through the soil towards the light. This tiny new organism must overcome the pressure of earth's surface and grow up through and around clay, rocks and debris to survive. With every step the seedling must find new energy, and with every step he grows stronger. Once the seedling makes it to the surface the rays of sunshine will shower it with energy, light, and a new motivation to grow bigger and stronger to enjoy more sun and more light. Every seedling must endure this climb to the surface, and if he makes it, he will have a chance to live and grow and reproduce. Still, new challenges arise every day, and every day the plant must endure. Appreciate the tree.

Many of us are lucky to be brought up by those who care most about us. From the very first time when we enter this world out of the mother's womb we are protected, nourished, and encouraged. This love and care are programmed into the human species as a necessity: small children are among the most helpless of intelligent creatures during the first year of life. Until we master our own ability to use our bodies and our minds to their capacity we need others to take care of us.

We are sheltered from the harshness of the world for so many years! But, inevitably, the human must learn to stand on their own two feet - first literally, then figuratively - and endure the normal challenges of living. On this journey just like the seedling we are rewarded with copious light and energy - the energy of the joy of living. That is, if we make it.

The sun will rise and fall every day at the horizon reminding us of the rhythm of life. Listen to the rhythm, understand it, anticipate the winds and the snow and the drought; adjust, involve your survival skills, your ever increasing experience, your intelligence, and you will endure. Grow. Be better. Don't just grow old, grow wise and strong, and you will see more sunshine in your life.