Resumo de The Traveler's Gift

Having just turned thirty, breaking up with the girl I thought I was going to marry and coming to the sickening realization that my job had become nothing more than the manipulation of the human condition at the expense of my vitality and their vice (no I am not a lawyer, I am a bartender), I needed a fresh perspective. By offering the "Seven Steps for Successful Living" through the fictional account of the unfortunate and seemingly doomed David Ponder, Andy Andrews, with his book "The Traveler's Gift", seemed to offer some insight on a bit of the wisdom I was searching for. Did he?
If you haven't caught on by now, I have enough troubles of my own without presuming to tell a person with what knowledge they should walk through life and, even more particularly, how one goes about gaining such perspective. Nevertheless, I- a 30 year old bartender without romantic prospects- humbly shares with you what I learned from Andrew's tale in something I have titled "The Creed of Choice". Pour yourself a drink if you need to, I don't mind...

There is an astonishing sense of empowerment when I believe- realize- that my destiny is simply a matter of choice. Do I believe that I am capable of rising above mediocrity? Do I believe that what I am doing is mediocre? Am I ready to bear burden, persist through pain, never waver in my ideal? Do I possess patience, fortitude... faith? Can I withstand criticism, failure, heartbreak? Can I stand when others would rather sit? Can I embrace forgiveness? Will I search for wisdom? My answer is my choice.
My true character is revealed in my failures. If I accept failure I become failure. If I learn from it I encourage the growth of a strong and healthy spirit. I win even when I lose. The only shame in failing is my inability to progress. There is something to be learned in everything. If I accept this it will be impossible to believe in regret. This is a choice.
I must conduct myself with integrity. I shall be cautious of the council I keep and listen carefully to the words spoken by those who possess the most intimate extension of myself- my trust. I will put the concerns of others above the concerns of myself. Why? Because no one who has ever done anything worthwhile has ever acted on their own behalf. Selfishness, arrogance, vanity, greed- in the end, no matter how materially successful I might have been, I will have never been anything more than mediocre. These are my choices.
The only thing separating me from mediocrity and greatness is choice. Can I accept this accountability? Do I possess the constitution needed to see my dreams succeed? Can I embrace the freedom of forgiveness and the learning curve of failure? Can I ask, "Why not me" instead of, "Why me?" Is mine a soul of willingness or resignation?
I will be humble with my choices, courageous with my actions and bold with my strides. I accept that my actions structure my life and what I perform is what I have chosen to do. I accept that truth is no longer a necessity, but a discovery. I accept that in time all things will present themselves. I refuse to use time as an excuse. I realize that which bothers me is my fault and mine alone. I acknowledge that a full life well lived has always been up to me.
It has never been a matter of luck, it is a matter of work. It is, and always will be, nothing more than a matter of choice.

Betcha need that drink now more than ever, huh? The Seven Steps offered in "The Traveler's Gift" has forced me to get over the self-centered notion that mine is the worst life on the planet. (It isn't) As well as confront the fact that what I enjoy every day is up to me. (It is) Though I didn't agree with everything written, I found the Seven Steps to be a most useful guide and "The Traveler's Gift" a poignant read at a time in my life when any kind of guidance or poignancy is welcome. What I had embraced was that poignant guidance should always be welcome. What I forgotten is that accountability is as terrifyit is liberating. We are what we do. We choose what we are.

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