Friday, October 1, 2010

Good, Better, Best

Some days there won't be a song in your heart. Sing anyway. ~Emory Austin

All things in life can be broken down into two categories.

Moralists would call them Good or Bad.
Religion calls it Righteous or Wicked.
To Scientist it’s either a Fact or False.
Philosophers consider it Enlightened or Ignorance.

But there are many other terms to divide the extremes.

Truth or Fiction, Real or Fake, Light or Darkness, Right or Wrong, Positive or Negative, Strength or Weakness, Happy or Sad, Love or Hate

These polar opposites keep the universe in balance. All positive things and all living creatures gravitate towards the light. It’s not only necessary for physical survival, it’s necessary for mental (and you could say “spiritual”) wholeness.

Good fortune shies away from gloom. Keep your spirits up. Good things will come to you and you will come to good things. ~Glorie Abelhas


All living things are born with an innate ability to discern good from bad. While understanding the depths and ramifications of these two concepts take years of training and life experience, most people recognize without being told when something is basically harmful or helpful.

Animals and children tend to be good judges of character. Call it a vibe or intuition, they often can tell when another animal or person is likely to dislike or harm them, or won’t. As people get older they learn to ignore their “gut feelings”, reject “good advice” or justify bad choices and behaviors.

Since there are also degrees of good and bad, (those shades of grey between black and white) it’s not hard to find ways to say a choice or option is “better” than the “worst” or the “lesser of the evils”.

But comparing mediocre to horrible never solves problems, prevents failures or achieves greatness. Only by comparing something to how it could be better or best, will success be possible, will truths be discovered and will people and situations improve.

You are what you surround yourself with.


If you surround yourself with things and people that are negative, you harm yourself and stunt your own growth and success and happiness.

If you compare yourself to your worst possible you, you’ll never come even close to fulfilling your own personal potential. Realizing your abilities, doing what you’re good at and “fulfilling your destiny” is at the core of all enlightenment, all truth and all happiness.


People who seek honesty, kindness and love, are therefore in search of truth, strength and light. So the reverse applies as well. Honesty, kindness and love will bring you closer to things and people that are positive, real and happy.

If you have the will to win, you have achieved half your success; if you don't, you have achieved half your failure. ~David Ambrose


A person’s standards and expectations are affected by the people they spend time with and the environment they surround themselves with. All living things slowly impacted by the sometimes powerful, sometimes subtle forces and attitudes they encounter regularly.

A prime example is the Niagara Falls. Over the course of an estimated 12,000 years, the falls have eroded 7 miles. This may or may not sound significant, but something as simple as water continuously running over something as solid as a mountain, could in fact make the entire waterfall disappear in another 2,500 years. The centuries old historic site of weddings, honeymoons and tourism could in fact someday cease to exist.

People are not made of stone though. Our minds, hearts and moods are easily swayed, effected and altered numerous times every day. The experiences we have, the environment we live and work in and the people we encounter, leave deeper impressions on us than anyone may care to realize.

We can destroy ourselves by cynicism and disillusion, just as effectively as by bombs. ~Kenneth Clark


Surround yourself with positive, optimistic, ambitious people who love life and you’ll find that sooner or later you’re adopting similar feelings and attitudes. The opposite is just as true. Spend time frequently with depressed, angry, unmotivated people who are critical and unhappy and you’ll just as surely became to look at life through a grim, tainted perspective.

The trick is not just to surround yourself with positive people, music, and attitudes; but to take what you see and experience around you and improve it. Don’t just do something. Do it well. Don’t just do it well, perfect it.


There’s a little rhyme I grew up hearing constantly from the wise woman who is my grandma. And with it, you can take any topic, situation or environment, any person, idea or attitude and make it more than it was before. It all starts with you.

Good, Better, Best
Never let it rest,
Until the Good become Better
And the Better become Best!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Great post. Resonates with me.
Thanks.

:)

-James