what will you do | David M Masters

How was your day today? What did you do today?

What you did today defines who you are as a person.

There’s a TV show that examines the last 24 hours of the lives of famous celebrities called the Final 24. It’s fascinating; who doesn’t want to know what someone does, what they think in those last 24 hours. In many ways there is nothing more critically important than how they spent their last 24 hours.

These people lived their lives and then, suddenly, left this physical plane of existence nearly by choice as in the case of drug overdose or suicide, or unexpectedly by way of murder, accidental death, or sudden death due to health issues.

Thank God, you’re not dead; not yet.

But in many ways what you did in the last 24 hours defines who you are as a person. If you look at your life, as you lived it today, the things you did, the thoughts that dominated your mind, how you spent your time, where you focused your attention, what you have to show for your efforts today, depicts the kind of person you are, if it was not unlike most of the days that preceded it.

For most people, today was just another lack luster day, and they don’t have much good to show for it.

It is possible that if today was such a magnificent day, and you are so proud of how you spent your day and would like to be remembered for this day forever,

DO NOT PUT YOURSELF IN ANY POTENTIALLY LIFE-THREATENING CIRCUMSTANCE

This is not the day to take any risks, or to try to, “go out on a high note.”

Instead think of this as only being the first day in a long succession of days, maybe filling up the rest of your life with productive, meaningful and fulfilling demonstrations of your ability to keep doing more, living a better life, your best life, and making the world a better place.

And if today was the same ol’ same ol’ run of the mill day-in-day-out kind of day, guess what?

You’re still here and God willing, you have a fresh new day ahead tomorrow.

This could be the day that you decide to take charge of your life and start living it in a manner that you can be proud of. You can take an active part in being the change you would like to see in the world.

One person can make a difference.

… and you could be one of those people.

Maybe tomorrow you can try a random act of kindness, or be the light in someone’s life. You would be surprised how little it takes to make a difference. It will take action on your part, but you will be impressed how doing something significant can make you feel so exhilarated. One random act of kindness actually improves the lives of both the giver and the receiver by ramping up the body’s bio-chemistry and improving the immune systems for eight hours; great benefits for just making the effort to do something good.

And the more you do it, chances are, the more you’ll want to keep on doing it and finding new ways to make the world a better place. The people who do so are by far my favorite people, I call them Acts of Kindness Superheroes.

It doesn’t take much, and you can be that person, if you set aside a little time to do it.

You can do it.

You gave it your best shot. You had faith, did the work and worked hard at it. You courageously supported, promoted and pushed all your chips onto the table in this deal in an “all or nothing” proclamation of your earnest belief that this was the answer.

Now, you realize – more than ever – sometimes things don’t turn out like you had planned.

You are mad, your feelings have been hurt, you feel betrayed, embarrassed even victimized.

As others are silently watching you, they are waiting to see how you are going to respond to this situation. After an uncomfortable state of shock, you react. Onlookers are taking note of the words that escape you mouth (or fingertips) in this moment.

Some people may unjustly mock, attack or ridicule you based on those first words acknowledging your pain or disapproval of seeing your hopes and dreams demolished. It is a brutal world, full of self-centered cynics who could care less about your emotional state in this tender moment, when you feel as though your world – undoubtedly the one that you so believed in – has crumbled to dust.

Inside each tragedy of life, there lies a hidden treasure chest. Only you have the key to see what’s inside. It’s in times, like these, that we can be empowered for massive growth and change.

there-is-treasure-in-your-tragedy-only-you-have-the-key-david-m-masters — There is treasure in your tragedy only you have the key

When I look back on my own setbacks, like the loss of a marriage and family, betrayal of family or friends whom I trusted, investments that evaporated or the loss of a son in a battle while he was serving offshore in Afghanistan, all of it – no matter how ultimately tragic it was at the moment – was an opportunity for me to grow and live a better life.

Many of us have suffered though what appeared to be insurmountable obstacles. Even though we may have felt as though life was so awful, we were able to push through and enjoy what life was holding for us on the other side.

So, after you’ve gained your balance, it comes down to this:

What Are You Going to Do About It?

This is where the rubber meets the road, or as my grandfather would say, it’s what “separates the men from the boys.”

Maybe you’ve expressed your feelings about your loss shouting from the rooftops, or you may have held your shattered dreams close to the vest, either way, following the realization that things didn’t turn out like you had hoped,

What are you going to do about it?

You could do nothing. You could play the role of the victim, or you could take action, determined to live a better life, your best life, and make the world a better place.

This is when you come face-to-face to the person you were meant to be. You can turn these inner feelings – that could ultimately destroy a normal person – into the fuel necessary to launch your new life or change the world in a major (or even some small) way.

You could talk about it, or you could rise up and take action. In times like these, you give birth or bolster the leader or warrior within.

Start evaluating your life. Look around and see who truly has your best interests at heart. Do some social housecleaning. Maybe it’s time for a change, possibly massive change of career, or location.

Is it time to leverage your skills, to assemble a team or mobilize a movement?

Once you’ve taken action, you realize what a powerful force for good you can be. Go forth in love, with understanding and benevolence, without judgment or disrespect and make the world a better place.