At the time of sitting down to write this, your author received news that an acquaintance of the family had taken his own life. A father of a special needs child and a husband to a beautiful wife. He was an athletic and nice looking man that seemed to be the picture of health. What spurred this horrific tragedy is a mystery, but it certainly puts this topic into deeper perspective.
Success in life means something different to just about everyone. Obviously this man felt a deep burden inside that seemed impossible to overcome. The choices that we make and the priorities we set all come with consequences. If the goal in life is success, then we must strongly emphasize what truly matters most in our eternal existence. Wasting time obsessing on the pointless is a fool’s game. Here are 10 thoughts on things that simply just do not matter.1. Sports Results
If a doctor informed you that you had six months to live, would the outcome of the Super Bowl suddenly mean anything at all? Sports are a wonderful means of entertainment. When participating they offer a myriad of very positive benefits. However, there is an obsession worldwide with the results of watching other people play a game. Taking someone else’s success story and somehow making it our own. Michael Jordan won a lot of championships and it sure was fun watching him do it. But the rings are on his fingers, not ours, so strive to be a champion in your own world.
2. Living Up To Unrealistic Expectations
Want to know how to be successful? Avoid unrealistic expectations. Sometimes they are external, such as from a parent or a spouse, and sometimes they come from within. In either case, do not waste energy trying to live up to something you are not. It simply does not matter. We all have a correct path to discover. That is where your energy should be focused.
3. Television
Talk about obsession. We spend vast amounts of time and resources on how to constantly improve our television viewing experience. We are all guilty. As with sports, television has a place in our lives. We are informed and entertained. But it has gone far beyond that. For some, existence revolves around the TV. Walks aren’t taken. Conversations aren’t had. Life is neglected. All for the sake of what is mostly mind-numbing and brain crushing worthless programming. One only needs to consider the startling success of “Jersey Shore” to realize that television has become an enormous problem in our society. Minds are being rotted into a mushy pulp. Benjamin Franklin, the Wright Brothers and Thomas Edison used to inspire us. Now it’s Snooki.
4. Bitterness
We all have moments in life where we become consumed by petty differences and bitterness. This is a problem for society as a whole also. We can prop up the political climate in this country as evidence. Pettiness and bitterness only lead to destructive ends. Want to change your life for the better? Drop all those things you are holding on to that are eating you from the inside out. We are instructed to forgive.
5. Revenge
In the same destructive zone as bitterness, revenge remains a prime motivator in the lives of many. Revenge against the person who wrecked your marriage. Revenge against the person that got the promotion you wanted. Revenge against the driver who cut you off. Certain parts of society have even evolved to the point where revenge has become the heart of their culture. Certainly God desires more from us.
6. Vanity
The never ending search for perfection. Billions upon billions of dollars are spent each year on all sorts of things designed to make us feel better about ourselves. Whiter teeth. Tighter skin. Enhancements. The list goes on and on. We could feed and house every single poor child in this nation with the money we spend on vanity products. We have a set priority that looks are vastly important. It should be a low priority. From personal observation, the more a person uses artificial changes as a way towards happiness, the less happy they become. They are only masking the real issues that lay inside their broken soul. Most people want to look nice and that is ok, but there comes a point where you must accept and love who and what you are.
7. Technology Obsession
Life and success both have a best friend in moderation. Obsession tends to lead us too far down paths we do not belong. In this age, we are amazed and awed almost weekly with the latest technological advances. From smart phones to social networking, we are bombarded with new and faster ways to share and absorb information. In moderation, they are extremely helpful in many ways. When abused, they push our lives almost into an artificial existence. Does it really matter if you have the latest and greatest product to replace yesterday’s latest and greatest? No, it does not.
8. Fear of Failure
The following is a quote from John Keats: “Don’t be discouraged by a failure. It can be a positive experience. Failure is, in a sense, the highway to success, in as much as every discovery of what is false leads us to seek earnestly after what is true, and every fresh experience points out some form of error which we shall afterwards carefully avoid.” Don’t waste your time on fretting about failing. It won’t matter. Just go out and do it.
9. Wealth
“You can’t take it with you when you go.” Money destroys more lives and more marriages than any other source. The trouble with money is that we all must have it. That’s a fact that we can’t get around. Some are blessed with a great deal of it, and others barely scrape by. There is no sin in being wealthy. The sin lies in what motivates you. We are taught from our first moments to worship currency. Like programmed robots. Make money – buy stuff. More money – more stuff. We put forth ten times the amount of effort towards financial matters than we do our eternal souls. No matter where your final destination lies, VISA will not be accepted.
10. False Idols
We were created and our destiny was written by the one true God. He is who we are to worship. His Word is quite clear about this. Our number one priority should always be our personal relationship with God. Yet, we surround ourselves with multitudes of false idols. All the things we discussed in this list and plenty more. What are you worshipping? Where is your heart? When you are moments from death, will you be able to look up to God and say “I’m ready?” Don’t waste any more time on false gods.
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