What I've learned by reading 01

When I was young I was obsessed with reading. I guess not much has changed. What has changed is the scope of available reading material.  One of the magazines to which my family subscribed was the ubiquitous Readers Digest.  I loved that magazine. I loved the funny stories, the vocabulary tests, the look and feel of the paper.  One day I read an article titled "Lessons from Aunt Grace" by Nardi Reeder Campion.  I still have that article though its color is yellowing.

Funny how memory tricks us. I thought I read it while still in Junior High, but after searching high and low via the library's databases and the internet I could not find a full citation.  The internet is clogged with references to the same article reprinted in "Chicken Soup for the Soul: Woman to Woman." http://www.chickensoup.com/book-story/31890/48-lessons-from-aunt-grace.  Eventually I got into my filing cabinet and located the article. July 1984.  Well that's a surprise.  I was married and had a six month old daughter when I read this article.

This article was the first to introduce me to the idea that sometimes you have to "do something I don't want to do that needs doing." In 1991 I graduated with my bachelors degree from Idaho State University.  In my graduating class was my sister Sarah Robin and my best friend Arlene. In the audience was my daughter Shanna, sister Nanette, my aunt Myrna and my grandmother Marj.  I'm still so happy we were all able to be there.  On the stand was the best graduation speaker I've ever heard.  His name was Roger Williams.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Williams_(pianist)

He sat at a piano and played something then talked, then played, then talked.  The gist of his talk was about doing what was necessary to succeed.  How those who truly succeed are willing to do the things such as practicing scales in order to be really good.  He was very good.  I'll never forget, though clearly the memory has blurred. I used to be able to quote from his talk.  It was very Aunt Grace.  Do the work, be grateful, exercise both brain and body, and take care of yourself.

I recently listened to a book using the fabulous Audible titled "Take the Stairs" by Rory Vaden. It is a whole book about the idea of self discipline. Though it embroidered on the idea by adding the many concepts, one of which is that of timing and seasons. There are a lot of seasons in ones life and different pursuits are better done in the appropriate season. You are the one who gets to decide which pursuit fits which season.  Tthe book as a whole gets a bit tired from his references to his success and web site.  Still there was enough really good stuff that I am going to reread it.  I like that he really hammers the idea that we can't just sit around thinking positive thoughts and expect to get results.  That results require action of some kind.

So why am I writing this? Somehow people think that I'm lucky, and I won't deny that I feel lucky, but when you look at things, really look, much of my luck is actually work, hard work, work I don't want to do but do anyway because I want the results.  If I want a clean house then *I* have to clean it.  If I want to know how a camera works and be a better photographer, then I have to do the work to learn this too. And work definitely has its rewards.

Do yourself a favor and read "Lessons from Aunt Grace". "Chicken Soup for the Soul" has posted it online at: http://www.chickensoup.com/book-story/31890/48-lessons-from-aunt-grace  It has more than just self discipline, it really is a recipe for living a more happy, fulfilled and enjoyable life.