Life as a Ghost

The “Talker”

Life as a Ghost

There were two people just ahead.  They were talking.  Well, one of them was talking.  The other was patiently listening.  I knew one of the two, the listener.  I had never seen the talker before.

As I passed the two, the talker had his back to me.  The listener, someone I knew well, caught my eye.  During that brief moment I heard the talker telling her how much he had accomplished, how great he was, and what he was going to do.  I looked at my listening friend and lifted my right arm as I opened and closed my hand in a blab, blab, and blab motion.

I talk with my hands a lot.  At least that’s what someone once told me.  Perhaps this proved it?

More importantly, my hand talking caused me to reflect on this incident again and again.  At first I reprimanded myself, “That wasn’t nice!”  Then, I asked, “Why did you choose to respond in that way?”  Finally, I realized I had been going through a process of discovering something of significance, the principle of doing.

We live in a society where the principle of doing as been largely lost.  There are people who are famous for just being famous.  They haven’t added any real value to themselves or their fans.  They’ve done nothing to improve the human condition.  They haven’t served anyone and they haven’t sought a greater purpose.  In reality, they are not great and have not achieved greatness.

True greatness comes from humble beginnings.  It comes from those that follow the path of “be lesser, do more.”  That’s the lesson I learned from the talker on that day.

It was the beginning of my own awakening.  The awakening of understanding that while most simply want to take credit, true success, growth and joy comes only from doing.  This arousal toward reality has caused me to ask myself these three questions.  I wish I could tell you I ask them everyday, but I don’t.  You will most likely do better than I do at that.

What can I do for everyone I meet today?

What can I do that nobody else wants to do?

How can I produce more than anyone else and give the credit away?

Asking these questions on a regular basis has allowed me to begin to change in many ways.  You may be asking yourself, “Will it kill me to let others have all the credit?”

I can assure you it won’t!  You can start at any time.  It doesn’t matter your age or situation.  Let it become natural and permanent to your character.  If you pick this mantle up once you’ll see that the person who clears the path is the one who benefits from it.  Will you benefit from living life as a ghost?