Photo/Graphic: D. Paul Graham, ‘Round 2 It

“Monday 5 Things”™….. ‘Round 2 It …..

“I’ll get around to it.” A phrase repeated by a precocious, barely mustachioed teenager who felt he had better things to do than the tasks that his mother wanted done around the house. In class one morning, I opened up a textbook, to find a sticker. A ‘Round 2 It’ sticker. Mom had a rather subtle way of getting messages across to me. It has stuck with me as reminder all my life. Thinking through some decision points recently, I mused where my mom’s “Round 2 It” sticker might apply. This morning’s M5T gets round to getting “Round 2 It’ in life.

1. Dream It

I’ve always been a believer in setting my sights high. Then pushing to aim higher. Visualize where you want to be, who you want to be, what you want your life to look like. Engineer your own dream, your own story. Own it. Dream big, but constantly move forward with disciplined small steps taken each day, each week, each month, each year. “To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream, not only plan, but also believe.” ~ Anatole France

2. Start It

Stop procrastinating. Act. Take action. Take hold. Take a hard look at your needs. Take responsibility. Define your personal mission statement. Pinpoint road marks. Pay attention to your intuition. Don’t compare yourself to others. Recognize that perfection is unattainable. Be ruthless in learning to say no. Say yes if it suits you and your objectives. “Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” ~ Arthur Ashe

3. Risk It

Make choices that are not fear based. Risk always involves failure at some point. Embrace the lessons, learn from them, and move off from them. Work at not quitting. Move past your fear. Challenge yourself.  Develop confidence in who you are. Know your limits. Seek out opportunities. Ask for help. Be willing to change. Overcome your fear of success. “Don’t fear failure so much that you refuse to try new things. The saddest summary of a life contains three descriptions: could have, might have, and should have.” ~ Louis E. Boone

4. Love it

Celebrate you. Celebrate milestones. Every. Single. One. Of. Them. Learn to receive love. Be grateful. Work hard, play hard, and love harder. Embrace your solitude. Forgive easier. Seek joy. “Be in love with your life. Every minute of it.” ~ Jack Kerouac

5. Live it

Choose to live your life. Your life, not the life of someone else. Realize it, believe in your potential. Use your imagination. Decide to see the best in everything and everyone. Seek wisdom for yourself and from wise counsel. Neither failure nor success defines the person you truly want to be. The past can’t be changed. Put your energy into your strengths. “The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Here’s to a week of getting round 2 whatever your ‘its’ are.

© 2022 D. Paul Graham, all rights reserved.

For over 10 years, D. Paul Graham has published “Monday 5 Things” ™, also known to readers as M5T ™.  Each Monday, Paul shares his observations, thoughts and passions on people, life, and culture.