We complain about work. We complain about family. We complain about our parents. We complain about our Bishops and Priests.
It’s as if we’ve created a Utopia in our minds and we are repeatedly shocked when the real world doesn’t measure up.
It’s not that I don’t think a Utopia is a good theory. In fact, I think it can be incredibly telling about what we truly value. The only real use for it, however, is measuring things in our lives that we can control.
When you create the ideal life that you would like to model in the following Utopia experiment, you actually discover some of your deepest desires and aspirations.
Stop.
Imagine how you want people to perceive you. What characteristics would instantly come to mind when someone thinks of you? What values do you put into action?
Now measure how you’re doing.
Like me, you’re probably way off the mark.
What we just did was figure out what is important to you. If you want people to think of you as a man of integrity, but you do nothing but lie to your boss, you know where you need to make some changes.
Stepping back from our place in the world can give us an overview of where we are, where we’d like to be, and how to get there.
Remember, with any major change, there are going to be some shortcomings. You aren’t going to bat .1000. Don’t let a short term failure short circuit your goals. Make the changes, stick to the program, and live the life you want to model.
