I know
that I’m going to meet an old person one of these days. It will be down the road in 10, 20 or 30
years. He’ll be waiting there for me;
I’m catching up with him all the time.
What
kind of person do you suppose I’m likely to meet? That’s a significant question, it seems to me. He may be an enthusiastic person who has
grown old gracefully and is surrounded by a host of clients, associates and
friends who regard him as successful because of what his life and its work have
meant to them and to others. On the
other hand, he may be a bitter, unsuccessful, even cynical old buzzard without
a good thought about anything or anybody.
The
kind of person I meet depends entirely on me.
Actually, that old person will be me.
He will be the composite of everything I do, say and think today and
tomorrow. His mind will be set in a
mold that has been fixed by my attitudes and actions. Every thought -- positive or negative -- goes into his
makeup. That person will be exactly
what I make him -- nothing more, nothing less.
It’s all up to me, and I’ll have no one else to credit or blame. Every day and every way, I’m becoming more
and more like that old person. That’s
amazing, yet true. I’m getting to look
like that person, think like that person, and talk like that person.
A good
point for me to remember is that things don’t always tell immediately, but they
do show up sooner than we think. The
little things, like attitudes, beliefs, commitments, ambitions, dedication and
desire, are so unimportant now, but they all add up inside, where I can’t see
them, crystallizing in my mind and heart.
One day, they will be hardened into that old person, and nothing will be
able to soften or change them.
It’s
quite apparent to me that the time to take care of this old person is now --
today, this week, this month, this year.
I need to check on him carefully.
I would be smart to work that person over while he still is plastic,
still in a formative position. One day
soon, it will be too late to make any changes.
Hardness will set in, the character will have crystallized, and that
will be the last chance for him and for me.
Please call my office if we can be of
service.
