I'm currently reading a book entitled The Magic Lamp: Goal Setting for People Who Hate Setting Goals. On page 19 there is a quote in it that mirrors what I have said about what life has to offer:
You don't get what you want from life; you get what you are.
I've stated before that I don't want to win the lottery because life is more what you make of it than what it gives you.
Booker T. Washington said something similar :
Character, not circumstances, makes the man.
But there's more. It's not only that it's better to get what you are out of life than have it handed to you. It's also that having handed it to you can lead to ruin. On almost the same day I read the passage from The Magic Lamp, I read Proverbs 10:16:
The wages of the righteous bring them life, but the income of the wicked brings them punishment.
Have you ever seen people who actually are worse off the more money they get - people who know they are getting a bonus so they get stuff they don't need on credit two months ahead of time? Their blessings become curses because their focus is on material things.
Don't let circumstances dictate who you will be; don't let the fruits of your labor be a punishment. Be the force in this world that changes you.
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