Rhythm: Do You Have It?
There’s method to the madness as the old saying goes. But is there method to our madness? Are our lives randomness run amok, or do we let rhythm play its role? We may not give much thought to such questions as we go about our daily lives, but perhaps it’s not a bad idea to stop and think a moment. To think a moment about what it is we do each day, and why we do it?
If life is a culmination of what we do or don’t do each breathing minute, then it’s fitting to examine our own behavior within the context of a framework. Do we have some sort of rhythm to operate from or do we wantonly jump from here to there without thought and aim? Granted there are circumstances beyond our control like catastrophes, disease and upheaval, but even these things beckon a response. Do we also act with rhythm then?
Italian film director Michelangelo Antonioni (1912-2007) observed that when making movies “a scene must have a rhythm of its own, a structure of its own.” And it’s this “rhythm” or “structure” that makes for a successful scene.
Life is no different. Given we have a limited amount of time to “play” with, and if it’s our desire to be a “successful scene”, then we must embrace rhythm or risk an existence of mundane in-consequence and wasted potential. The world is filled with unheard-of talented people, but bursts with those of mediocrity because of rhythm. And then there are those shining few who have both talent and rhythm. They are the true stars among us.
In our own way, we must become stars of our own lives. We must apply ourselves by enhancing and developing those talents that God has gifted us. It doesn’t come from itself, but takes persistence, stamina and self-discipline (see Self-Discipline: The Cornerstone of Meaningful Action…). Only those who act accordingly will be rewarded; only those that bring rhythm to their lives will witness the full breadth of life’s offerings.
If we accept the premise that our health is our kingdom from which all else stems, then it is here where our greatest rhythm must be brought to bear. We must accept that our own well-being, more than anything else, lies within our own keeping. We must accept the fact that no doctor, no hospital, no medication can be the keeper of our health. As required, they can be nice adjuncts to us, but they are not our keepers.
We must look to ourselves to create the rhythm of looking after ourselves. This means exercising regularly (see Fitness: The Eternal Struggle…), eating right and mitigating as much as possible those things we know to have a dire impact upon our well-being, i.e. smoking, drinking, and whatever else the poison may be). Without the rhythm of health, we can discard all else.
So as another summer rapidly approaches, sit back and reflect. Think upon what matters and ask the singular tough question: Is what I’m doing now getting me to where I want to go? If yes, then carry on. If no, then it might be time to add a little rhythm…
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A 2014 Global Ebook Awards GOLD Winner for Best Self-Help Non-Fiction Ebook.
A 2016 Global Ebook Awards SILVER Winner for Best Self-Help Non-Fiction Ebook.