Taking Mojo for long walks gives me a chance to think about anything and almost everything. I think that’s why I enjoy walking so much; I don’t get distracted from my thoughts, such as I would if I were say driving or working or watching TV.
I’ve also been using my new phone as a brain dump for almost everything that comes to mind. I have a grocery list, a “Books to buy” list, a “Movies to watch” list, a “Blogs to write” list, etc (You get the idea).
Today I wrote down a list of Life standards for myself that I’ve acquired over the years and I try to live by. There are many things I think I could be better at, but I find that writing down my goals will help to achieve them all every day (In no particular order):
- Reduce your personal impact on the environment by reducing waste, hydro consumption and fuel consumption (Many problems our world faces today are a result of overconsumption and wastefulness).
- Be good to those around you
- Preserve history so future generations can learn from our mistakes
- Treat all people as equal regardless of their background or beliefs
- Be happy with yourself
- Think about the greater impact of every action that you take
- Be consistent; especially with those who look up to you
- Think of yourself as a citizen of the world and share it with others
- Be aware of problems in other countries because there is always something you can do to help
- Have fun with everything you do
On a related note, I’m not a fan of the term “No good deed goes unpunished”. A good deed is a good deed no matter which way you look at it and if you have to suffer a little bit to save someone from suffering much worse than you, it’s worth it. If you do good deeds because you think that some day you’ll be rewarded for it (whether monetarily or eternal life, etc.), I would argue that this isn’t a good way to look at life.
The answer is simple, if everyone helps to make the world a better place for others, then the world will be a better place for everyone with just a little bit of sacrifice from everyone.
Funny i was thinking about this yesterday on my walk…how little things make such a difference, life is in the details…