Ruining Your Life

Each morning, me and a group of guys on staff are reading through the rough draft of a new book by Jarrod Jones that is all about ruining your life. Each chapter shares a tip on a great way to ruin your life. Today we read about thinking you're in control.

That's a pretty interesting thought. I mean, how can you ruin your life just by thinking you're the one in control. In his book, Jarrod shared a story about a man who spent his life filming and studying bear. As his belief in his own control of the situation increased... he would get closer and closer to these wild animals until one day... the bear showed him who was really in control. He was killed.

But I don't think death is the only result of ruining your life. I see homeless people walking by me near my neighborhood in downtown Nashville every day and I wonder, what happened to them? What is their story? Did they think at one time that they were in control of their drinking or drug habit? Did they think they were in control of how they would grow up and what they would be? Surely they had aspirations to be a fireman or a policeman or a rock star or something other than a homeless person.

But even being homeless doesn't mean your life is ruined. I've heard that the suicide rate among the richest 5% is the highest of any income level. Do they lose hope because they believe they are in control and life still stinks?

Just some thoughts for today. What are yours?