Once, I dreamed that I was in a large room with dozens of tables filled with every kind of food imaginable. It was a buffet like no buffet I have ever experienced. Some tables contained delicious appetizers; others were packed with tantalizing desserts. Exquisitely prepared dishes made from vegetables, meat, fruit, baked goods, salads, sea food and pasta seemed to dance before my eyes.
Without hesitation, I began to eat. The wonderful thing about dreams is that you can eat to your heart’s content, without regard to calories or over-eating. It was, to say the least, delightful. But, I awoke feeling slightly guilty and thinking I better get to the gym soon so that it wouldn’t all go to my middle.
I don’t normally dream about food, so when I was fully awake, I pondered what it could mean. The thought came to me that life is like that buffet. An infinite array of choices and opportunities lie before us. But, also like a buffet, we need to be careful what we choose to indulge in. No one can eat everything in a buffet like that. So the challenge is to choose wisely.
Each of us has different circumstances. Some might have a food allergy or diabetes, which should limit our food choices. Others may have the inclination to choose too many high-fat, high-calorie foods which, although they may taste good at the time, will, over the long run, tend to destroy our health and vitality. There are no buffet police who monitor your food selections and sound the alarm if you take too many desserts or not enough vegetables. It’s up to us. Balanced, responsible choices are the order of the day at a food buffet.
This is also true in life. A wide array of choices, some good and some not so good for us, confronts us every day. Our job is to make the best choices about what we will do with our time and resources. Yes, we have laws and police which restrict us from making the most irresponsible choices. But, just because something is legal, does not make it the best choice for you.
I’ve learned that some choices are good, others are better, and still others are best. Often we rationalize our choices saying, “there’s nothing wrong with that.” True, but is there something better you could be doing with your time? Of all the good choices, which is best for you at this moment? Make that your constant choice, and you will have few regrets in life.
Success Tip: As you evaluate the smorgasbord of choices available to you each day, you realize that you can never do everything–even everything that is good. Choose, instead, the best option for every moment in time.
Great advice. Sometimes we try to do everything at once–and nothing good comes of it. You’re right, we have to choose wisely.