The Circle Around the Feet Theory

We are taught to keep up with the Jones'. Marketing, advertising, peer pressure and vanity make all of us fight to "look" successful and happy, but not necessarily to be successful and happy. Despite the fact that most of us know that money doesn't buy happiness and enough never seems to be enough, we still get caught in the trap of "keeping up", and this venture makes us all fall short of the illusive dream.

Will we ever be able to say that we have enough?

Regardless of who we are or how we've been raised, the human spirit gains comfort and happiness via certain criteria that has nothing to do with materialisms. The soul needs the basics, but the basics somehow get stepped over on the trip to happiness and no one really sees them until it's too late to get back to them. So let's teach you how to turn the trip around and begin immediately to get back to what matters most in life, your happiness.

Get a piece of chalk and go out to your nearest street or sidewalk. While standing still, draw a circle around your feet so that you are standing completely in the circle. Now get ready for the wisdom you've waited years to hear:

All you'll ever own in life lies inside that circle.

Any job, spouse, child, house, car, boat, friend, etc. is merely borrowed for some period of time. We do not control any of these "luxuries" of life and are vulnerable to lose them at any time. A spouse through divorce or death. A child through running away, drugs, death, college or marriage. A boat through theft. A car through an accident or repossession. A house through sale or repossession.

You may think you have some control over these assets, and the truth is you do have some, but most people lose sight and begin to think they "own" all of them and control the destiny that lies ahead. This is where the realities of life and the hopes and dreams of life separate drastically, and this now becomes the material that causes depressions, suicides, divorces, etc.

If you can believe that every gift you have is borrowed at best, two things will happen. You will work very hard to keep these gifts. Instead of a young husband out making eyes at some young girl he may work with, he will realize that the reality of losing his wife is always very high and he might better work to keep her happy. Secondly, with this approach to life, you will have a better understanding when you do lose. You will be thankful for the time you were able to borrow whatever it was and move forward with the joy and humility that is necessary to succeed in life.

So, do away with the Jones' and go buy a piece of chalk. Quit taking anything for granted, as you are owed nothing and anything you now have you must continue to work hard to keep. If you lose it, don't think you're alone. The world loses everyday. Just don't quit. You'll learn and appreciate more next time.