It Only Goes To Show....
No matter what age you are, there is always room for improvement.
And that goes for either sex, and people of every ethnicity, race, religion, creed, or planet of origin (in case you happen to be Klingon).
But so many times, we "want" to measure that improvement in levels of either astronomical or biblical proportions.
The word "increments" comes to mind for some reason.
In THIS case, we often overlook the TASK before us in lieu of the GOAL, and that can get us lost in life a lot faster than we could imagine.
Now, it's not wrong to see the end of whatever tunnel you find yourself at, and seeing a tree now and again in that forest should not detract from what YOU are attempting to achieve.
We just need to sort out all the stuff BEFORE we start that improvement process upon ourselves.
Some of us are pretty good "sorters"...others...not so much.
Now, call it what you will...ORDER, or PRIORITIES, but it's THIS facet of our lives where we often become mired down in our very own "red tape".
We WANT to do the right thing, AND in the order it was meant to be done, but sometimes, that's not always possible.
There are always those "x-factors" we need to consider.
A parameter overlooked, or that unforeseen event that tends to cause us to stray from our path...these are things we need to be prepared for, because they WILL intervene, and usually at the most inopportune time.
No one is perfect...that much we know (or should).
Still, there's nothing wrong with ASPIRING towards that noble precipice in life.
What we need to remind ourselves is that although NONE of us can EVER become perfect, we still CAN strive to be a LOT LESS UNPERFECT (sic) along the way.
By now, you probably have a smile on your face.

Yeah, I know that sounds funny, but think about it.
Will we make the right choices in life?
Hopefully, MOST times, but never expect it to become a 24/7/365 event...ain't gonna happen.
We WILL stumble along the way, we WILL fall down once in a while, and we WILL get the hell back up and try it again (whatever "it" was).
Many would say that's the sign of a flawed person.
No, it's the sign of a TYPICAL person.
It's not impossible to be a better person today than you were yesterday, as long as you LEARNED from yesterday's events and experiences.
But if you came away from that yesterday none the wiser, nor any more knowledgeable in the passage of those last 24 hours, you missed something.
This is where a lot of us draw that blank.
We will always look for that epiphanic moment...that ONE item that will forever change our view, our way of thinking, and perhaps our life itself.
We NEED to be looking for all those minuscule pieces lying about us instead.
Every seemingly insignificant items we "might" not be aware of...THOSE are the things that continue to build our character...define much better who WE are as individuals, and keep us striving for that loftier plateau of human existence.
It's REAL easy to spot the OBVIOUS ones that have all but given up challenging themselves in this matter.
Check out ANY prison.
It can also come along in ways not readily seen or noticed at first.
People so tunnel-visioned, that cannot see ANY other side to anything except their own is an easy giveaway.
If you look at the banner to this blog you'll find an important quote.
"When people yield up the privilege of THINKING, the last shadow of LIBERTY quits the horizon" (Thomas Paine)
If you look around you, you SEE the evidence of this already being done...and by more than a few.
Our very freedom...our LIBERTY demands that we THINK.
We cannot reason without thinking.
We cannot make decisions without thinking.
We cannot better ourselves without thinking.
Cogito Ergo Sum - I think, therefore I am, goes that quote.
When you surrender your ability to think (either for yourself or the behalf of others) you STOP being "you" in many ways.
And what you become in the process is a lot less than what the Creator intended.
What needs to happen is for us to avail ourselves of whatever opportunity arises before us, and to do it every single day.
Those "giant leaps" might be good for mankind (when you travel to the moon), but in OUR lives, we need to focus more on all those little baby steps.
Every day we wake up, it's like that clean slate before us...a fresh start..."a new beginning" (and not just episode 4 of Star Wars).
We have the chance to affect REAL change in our life EACH day, but not by those leaps and bounds.
Think of it this way...
Ants are very small creatures, and they certainly cannot leap tall buildings or make great strides on their own....BUT, with ENOUGH of these tiny buggers running about, they can deforest an acre of the jungle in a matter of DAYS!
THAT is how WE have to proceed....small things, every day, for ENOUGH days that when we look back, we can see where we USED to be and where we are NOW, and notice the REAL change we made in our lives (and quite possibly to others as well).
Call it an "affirmation" of sorts.
Call it a time to be "selfish", too.
This is that time where making yourself BETTER is (well) deserved, and often required.
((**note - photo removed because of non-payment for free promotional considerations ))
One other aspect we often misinterpret, is when we challenge oneself, we tend to build some sort of "win/loss" columns, like it was a football pool or something. That can cause us a few setbacks.
When we take on the mantle of personal improvement, we challenge ONLY ourselves, and should never let ANY outside influence dictate how much we WIN, or how great we have LOST. That's not for anyone else to determine but ourselves.
We may use personal heroes in our lives and certain universal principles and values acting as a guideline for how we conduct ourselves physically, emotionally, and mentally, but in the end, it IS totally about the sum of what WE have gleaned from every person, every experience (good and bad), and every day we awaken.
And all that needs to be sorted out and placed in it's proper perspective.
Now, if you're feeling a tad tired over the thought of this...good.
You're supposed to.
The phrase "no pain - no gain" comes to mind.
You don't get something for nothing when it comes to the human condition.
We ALL possess the potential for greatness...or for disaster, depending on which side of the fence we decide to fall on. What we all have to realize is that WE do the "falling"...no one else.
It's this POTENTIAL we have to think upon...evaluate, and take control of.
You might not always succeed, and will definitely fail a few times.
But to have the fortitude to keep getting back up is what is most important than the success or failure.
Exploring your potential is just like riding a bike, the MORE you do it...the EASIER it becomes
But you DO come away from the experience a better person...a wiser person...a more knowledgeable person.
And isn't that what we all were trying to do in the first place?
Be well, make a difference to someone, and...
Stay safe out there, America.