I read from a self-help book that if you want to be productive, you must spend your time wisely. The author suggested that you put 52 marbles in a jar. 52 marbles represent 52 weeks in a year of your life. At the end of each week you take out a marble and recount how you spend your time during that week. Was it another 60-hour plus work week? Did you spend quality time with your family? Did you do something you enjoy? Or was it a typical 7 days full of rushing around trying to keep up with many demands?
The author stated that as the marbles begin to disappear from the jar, the empty space symbolize your life either you have live your life to the fullest or the days and weeks have been wasted.
When Mr. Steve Irwin, the famous Crocodile Hunter, passed away a few weeks ago, most of the comments I heard was that he died doing what he enjoyed as a person who loved animals and nature. I don't think the statements were any comforting to his family. I am sure Mr. Irwin wanted to see his children grow up and he himself grew old with his wife. I watched a few of Mr. Irwin's documentaries and enjoyed his Australian accent and energetic manners. His presentations were full of excitement and daring which enticed the audience to feel as if they could jump right in and wrestle the crocodile with him. I know one thing for sure that Mr. Irwin lived his life to the fullest.
I do not have a jar with marbles. At the begining of the year, I write down projects I hope to accomplish and review them quarterly and at the end the year. There are items that I could proudly say "Mission Accomplished" and other projects that are forever on-going but not sure when would be done such as losing 20 lbs or speaking Spanish fluently.
I read an article in the New Scientist Magazine entitled, "How to live to 100 and enjoy it". The list of suggestions include things that I already know such as watch what you eat, get physical and mental exercises, smile and laugh often, be social and explore new experiences. The list also mentioned about where you live combined with race and income could determine your longevity.
The study further reported that life expectancy is 70 years for people who live in St. Louis, Missouri. I am 45 years old and if I live to be 70 years old, I will have 1300 weeks = 1300 marbles in the jar of my life. I will try to spend my life wisely. I will try not to worry too much about things that are beyond my control. In my job, I will do my best to handle the workload that I am responsible for. But I will not allow my job to define my life. I will take control of how I treat others and will accept nothing less than a respectful and professional working environment.
I will be truthful to my passion of learning, being active in my community, helping others and growing in my Christian faith. I will stay connected and letting my family know that they are very important to me. I will take time to enjoy my life by doing something simple such as staying at the library, at the museum, at the botanical garden as long as I wish to and not rushing to the next errands.
Whether I live to be 70 or 100 years old, I will enjoy each minute of my life and not overly concern whether I am productive or not based on some self-help books. I will not allow society to define whether I am successful or wealthy based on the accumulations of earthly materials. I will base my life on the love I receive from my family and my relationships with others. I will remember to smell the roses. And I will make sure I don't lose my marbles!
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