I was at my local library recently, just browsing the shelves, when an interesting book title caught my eye: “Being, Nothingness, and Fly Fishing”
The book is subtitled, “How One Man Gave Up Everything To Fish The Fabled Waters Of The West”
Intrigued, I picked up the book and read the inside flap of the dust jacket. It mentions that in book’s introduction, the author, while writing about a particular river, wrote: “The North Umpqua makes me want to be a better fly fisherman.”
I needed some context for such a bold statement, so I flipped to the introduction and found the actual quote. The full paragraph reads:
“Never do I fish as attentively as when I’m on the North Umpqua. I feel I owe the river the very best I have to offer, after all, the river has given its very best to me. The North Umpqua makes me want to be a better fly fisherman.”
Have you ever felt this way about anything? Do you have any things in your life that make you want to be a better person?
- Does the special person in your life make you want to be a better partner?
- Does your job make you want to be a better employee or your company make you want to be a better entrepreneur?
- What about your car? Does it make you want to be a better driver?
Is there anything in your life that would make you say: “I owe this the very best that I have to offer!”
In my role as a life coach for personal development, I frequently meet people who think they are “stuck”. Often, the truth of the matter isn’t that they’re stuck, it’s that they just haven’t found something that demands the very best they have to offer - something that makes them want to be a better person.
Well, what if the answer isn’t something outside of yourself? What if it’s not a person or a thing?
What about your life itself?
Please humor me for a minute… just for fun - imagine that you woke up tomorrow with the feeling that you owe your life the very best you have to offer!
What would that day look like to you?
What would it sound like?
Imagine living like that for just one day! How would that feel?
The Better Person Experiment
Now I’d like to propose something. I’d like to propose that you make up your mind, right here and now, to actually do this tomorrow - just as an experiment. You don’t have to tell anyone what you’re up to, you don’t have to recruit others to do it with you and you don’t need to make a big deal out of it. Just wake up with the attitude that no matter what happens throughout the day, you are going to give your life the very best you have to offer! You are going to live your life in a way that makes you want to be a better person.
Be forewarned, this new approach could change everything!
(Seriously, once you try this please come back and tell us about your amazing day by posting in the comments section.)
If you enjoyed this article please vote for it on Digg and Stumble Upon. Thanks :).
Patrick Mathieu is a motivational speaker, author and coach. His website is The Power of Mortality. Image courtesy of Jam Adams
* * * *
Create your Private Online Vision Board today. Our simple template allows you to upload goals, quotes, music and photos to your online Vision Board. Free two week trial.
译文:
如何成为一个更好的人
最近我去当地的图书馆，正在浏览书架上的书时，突然一个很有趣的书名吸引了我：《存在，虚无以及飞钓》
这本书的副标题是：“一个人怎么能放弃一切而去虚无缥缈的西方水域垂钓呢？”
因为很感兴趣，我拿起书本并读书套封盖里的内容。它提到，在书本的导言里作者写了一条特别的河流。作者是这样写的：“北姆普夸河让我想成为一个更好的飞钓者。”
我需要上下文才能明白这个大胆的声明，所以我快速翻到的序言部分，发现了这个事实的引言。整段的内容为：
在北姆普夸的时候我从来没有特意地去钓过鱼。我觉得我得给北姆普夸河展现我最好的一面，毕竟它已经给了我它最好的一面了。北姆普夸河让我想成为一个更好的飞钓者。
你曾有过这种感觉吗？生活中有什么东西让你想成为一个更好的人吗？
你生命中那个特别的人让你想成为一个更好的搭档吗？
你的工作让你想成为一个更好的员工吗，或者你的公司让你想成为一个更好的企业家吗？
你的汽车呢？它让你想成为一个更好的司机吗？
你生活中有没有任何一样东西让你想说：“我想为它展现我最好的一面。”
我的角色就像是一个个人发展的生活教练，因为我经常遇到一些人，他们认为自己是“停滞不前的”。事实上，通常不是他们停滞不前，而是他们还没有找到让他们展示最好一面的东西—让他们想成为更好的人的东西。
如果答案不是除了自己以外的东西，那么答案是什么呢？如果不是一个人或一样东西让你想
成为一个更好的人，那么是什么东西想让你成为一个更好的人呢？
你生活本身是什么呢？
请让我幽默一分钟······只是开个玩笑—想象你明早起来的时候感觉你要为你的生活展示最好的一面。
那么那一天对你来说会怎么样呢？
它应该是怎样的呢？
想象你就那样生活一天！那种感觉会怎么样呢？
做一个更好的人的实验 现在我想向你提议。我建议你下定决心，明天立刻这样做—只是一个实验。你不必告诉任何人你的打算，不用动员其他人和你一起去做，也不需要把它当作了不起的大事去做它。不管那天发生什么事情，你只要醒来用这样的态度去面对那一天就可以了。你要为你的生活展示你最好的一面！你要让你的生活在某种程度上让你想成为一个更好的人。
注意，这种新态度能改变一切。
严格的说，一旦你这样尝试了，回头在评论栏那里回帖，告诉我们你那惊奇的一天。
如果你喜欢这篇文章就请在Digg和Stumble Upon 这两个网页上投赞成票。谢谢
帕特里.克马修是一个励志演说家，是一个作家还是一个教练。他的网站是The Power of Mortality。
图片由Jam Adams 提供
今天就创建你的私人视角网站。我们简单的模板可以让你在你的在线视角网站上上传你的目标，你的引文，音乐和照片。我们免费让你试用两周。