As one thinketh in is heart, so is he. – King David
King David is historically represented as the second king of Israel and Judah. For centuries there was little evidence outside the Bible that David existed, though the 1990’s discovery of a stone in Israel contained inscription that is generally, though not universally, believed to confirm his existence in the 9th century BC. David appears frequently in post-Biblical oral and written Jewish tradition and is an important figure in Islam, too. Today’s Thought comes from the Old Testament, Proverbs 23:7, a book generally credited to David’s son Solomon.
To an extent that is astonishing, we get out of life what we think we will. Those who shoot for second place seldom place first. Those who expect little out of life generally do not have much to show for their time on this planet. Those who constantly fret over their health our often rewarded with issues to fret over.
On the other hand, those who change the world or who accomplish great things – or even get the most out of their talents – set out to do exactly that. Now, it is important to note that mere setting high goals does not mean you will get them. There are billions of people on this planet and we are all leading more or less random lives. A lot of achieving external success is dependent on others and being in the right place at the right time.
But internal success is not dependent on anyone other than ourselves. We must think good things about our lives and our expectations from it. We must expect good things. We must expect this journey to end only when our time comes to die. As we say here from time to time, no one scales Mt Everest while roaming the Gobi Desert. You have to start climbing.
It’s important to set goals, however, it is important to realize that meeting them – or other people’s expectations for us – is sometimes random and superfluous. It is in the trying to attain them that dividends are yielded. The challenge of maximizing our talents and becoming the best we can be is one of life’s great prizes. When we do that, there is no goal we have fallen short of.
The Thought for the Day runs regularly. Quotes are from Gaylon’s private stock.
