Life is Like the Tide

When I listen to motivational speakers, I get the feeling they convey that if we simply do what they tell us, we'll step onto the Yellow Brick Road, or golden highway, and never have to concern ourselves with certain matters again. Sure, they say it's a path we may stumble on; but they imply that one day, we'll get to the Emerald City and it's Easy Street from that point on. I recognize the truthful aspects of their messages. But...

Maybe it's me, but I find life is like the tide. I wouldn't mind if motivational speakers mentioned this so listeners could understand there are natural cycles for everything in existence and that we'd fair better if we learn to work with these cycles. I've noticed that in the day-to-day course of my life, the metaphoric tide comes in and deposits lovely shells and, occasionally, not-so-lovely somethings on my shores. These "deposits" come in any and every form. Of course, I may not be able to see or access these things until after the tide has gone out.

We are those who walk the shores, not that which moves the tides. We don't control the tides. We control how we relate to them and what they bring into and take out of our lives. Many of us have a tendency to want the tide either in or out, depending on how we perceive events. I find serenity in my acceptance that it comes in and it goes out and repeats this process.

Motivational speakers convey that success is measured in outcomes. That's true. But I also measure success for myself by observing what I do with the process that achieves the outcomes. You may have heard the saying that no man or woman on their death-bed ever said, "I wish I'd spent more time at the office." I'd like to add that in the final moments of our lives, I doubt we'll run through a mental checklist of what we accomplished or how much money we made. I believe we'll reflect on how we feel about how we experienced our lives. How much did we love? How many lives did we touch or make a positive difference in? How did we manage ourselves in good times and in challenging ones?

These questions reflect inner accomplishments rather than outer ones. There is no price tag we can attach to these things. How do we measure them? Well, how do you feel you're doing so far? Do you feel you manage yourself well? Do you use the times when the tide is in as well as out to learn and grow, to strengthen who you are? Do you enjoy the process, really have fun? Do you laugh often?

What's important, for me, about viewing life like the tide and myself as a shore-walker is that I get to choose to be enthusiastic about what I discover. I measure my own success based on how engaged I am when I take my walks and how I then put what I discover to use. I truly believe that in the end, I won't want to count how many shells I collected, but will reflect on how much attention I gave to their beauty, how they touched my life, and what I did with them. Did I hoard them, sell them, share them?

However you choose to measure your success, you may find it important to create a measurement tool for when the tide is in and when it is out. Both have value in your life.