Snow Melt

The Path of Life is Rocky, Rough, and Full of Pothole

The May 21, 2013 prompt for "Blogging Circle of Friends Prompt Forum"  is
You’ve been asked to speak at your high school alma mater — about the path of life. (Whoa.) Draft the speech.

I wish I could tell you that once you graduated from high school that the path of life is smooth and paved with platinum; I can't. The path of life is rocky, rough, and full of potholes; however, despite the difficulties you will encounter on this path it is well worth traveling because you will also encounter joy, love, and success. There are certain things you will need as you traverse life's path.

First, you will need a positive attitude. One of the ways to keep a positive attitude is to find your spiritual path, which is not necessarily a religion. According to the Free Online Dictionary, one of the definitions of spiritual is "Of, concerned with, or affecting the soul."1 A spiritual path is something that grounds you and gives you hope when life begins shooting holes in your goals. There are, of course, other ways to keep a positive attitude, so if you don't accept that you have a spiritual path then you need to find some other way to hold onto a positive attitude because you're going to need it as you move forward in life.

Second, you need to define success for yourself rather then let someone else define it for you. Some of you will find success through college and graduate work, while others will find it in art, in working the land, in writing, or some other way. The way other people define success is unimportant, it is the way you define it that makes the difference. While you have to be able to support your family and yourself, there are many honest ways to do this. It is your personal definition of success that helps you do this because it will give you encouragement and focus as you travel life's rough path.

Third, remember that no matter how many potholes, rocks, and rough patches you encounter these are all learning experiences. You encounter each because you need the lesson each reveals. There will be something you have to learn, which is why you need a positive attitude. If you don't have a positive attitude when you encounter these rough patches then you will give up and when you give up you can't receive the lesson life is attempting to teach.

Quote of the Day: "Life always gives us exactly the teacher we need at every moment. This includes every mosquito, every misfortune, every red light, every traffic jam, every obnoxious supervisor (or employee), every illness, every loss, every moment of joy or depression, every addiction, every piece of garbage, every breath. Every moment is the guru." - Charlotte Joko Beck

Footnotes
1  http://www.thefreedictionary.com/spiritual