Personal Recipe

Trust 30 : Day 27 (Prompt by Harley Schreiber)

I do not wish to expiate, but to live. My life is for itself and not for a spectacle. I much prefer that it should be of a lower strain, so it be genuine and equal, than that it should be glittering and unsteady. I wish it to be sound and sweet, and not to need diet and bleeding. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Think about the type of person you’d NEVER want to be 5 years from now. Write out your own personal recipe to prevent this from happening and commit to following it. “Thought is the seed of action.”

I don't want to be one of the living dead. It seems so many people seek to tune out life. Whether it's television, internet, drugs, the bar scene, or anything else, people seem to be constantly striving to escape. To be honest, I feel that same call. I've given in to it before. On one hand life seems so much simpler if the primary purpose of it is to stay gratified. You put in your time at work, grab some fast food on the way home, and then veg all night. Next day is the same as the last. Repeat as necessary. Retire. Die, having never lived. Frankly, that's the path of least resistance. Living like this doesn't anger anyone, but there is no positive purpose in it either.

Here's a quick recipe:

1. Openly and passionately pursue truth. Don't stop when it gets comfortable, keep pushing until your dying breath.
2. Reach out to others. Staying engaged with other helps maintain perspective and keep you honest. 
3. Always keep learning.
4. Never be afraid to help someone else out.
5. Choose to love.