It doesn’t get better; but you can

I’m old enough now to know that it doesn’t get any better.

“It” being what we call “life” or the “way things are” or just “the world.”

What I mean is: You will always have problems. In fact, the problems you face in life become bigger, harder, and more grave as you age.

You will always live or work with people with whom you have a hard time getting along.

Almost nothing ever works out the way you plan it.

As the years add up, so do chances for heartbreak, loss, and worry.

No, it doesn’t get better if by “better” you mean fewer problems and less struggle.

And the truth is (though advertisers would like for you to think otherwise): You cannot buy your way out of what makes life hard (aging, current events, people, etc.). No job change, no pay raise, no retirement savings, no splurging will do much more than just take your mind off things for a moment or two. Your life is hard and that is how it is going to be.

Sorry.

No, “it” doesn’t get better and no man or woman in the world is powerful enough or rich enough to change or control it.

That’s the bad news.

The good news is that one thing can get better: You.

No, you don’t control “life” in a cosmic sense.

But you do control your life.

You control how you feel and think.

You control what you believe, which guides the choices you make and the path you follow.

You control how you respond to whatever “life” throws at you.

It is not really true that you can make the world a better place. Maybe you can, but probably not.

What you can do is make yourself a better person in the world.

You can choose to feel better about your life in this world.

That power is 100 percent yours and yours alone, given and honored by God when you choose to use it.

So, what are you going to do?

Shake your head and wag your finger as you scroll through your Twitter feed one more time?

Or are you going to go to work; not on changing the world but on changing your body, heart, and mind for no other reason than the fact that you can?

For the fact that this is the greatest pleasure and the one true superpower God gave you at birth?

No, it doesn’t get better; but you can.

Will you?

 
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