This is an absolute masterpiece of an article (Personal Renewal) and I urge you to read it carefully and think over each word written there. I am sure we’ve all faced / might face such a situation in life, the phase where we struggle for a much needed ‘self renewal’. John W. Gardner addresses this issue in the most thought provoking way possible. For the unknown, John Gardner was the quintessential American hero; a man who transformed America through ideas and action that improved the lives of millions and shook up American politics. He was the Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare under President Lyndon Johnson. Below is an excerpt from the article
“Meaning is not something you stumble across, like the answer to a riddle or the prize in a treasure hunt. Meaning is something you build into your life. You build it out of your own past, out of your affections and loyalties, out of the experience of humankind as it is passed on to you, out of your own talent and understanding, out of the things you believe in, out of the things and people you love, out of the values for which you are willing to sacrifice something. The ingredients are there. You are the only one who can put them together into that unique pattern that will be your life. Let it be a life that has dignity and meaning for you. If it does, then the particular balance of success or failure is of less account.”
~ sinewave ~ 