What does living life to the fullest mean? There isn’t one universal answer to this question.
As a matter of fact, everyone's life goals and priorities are different.
However, living life to the fullest means striving for excellence in everything you do.
It means setting for nothing less than greatness; chasing your dreams no matter what; playing offense in life rather than defense.
It means becoming the best version you can possibly be and getting to the end of your life without regrets.
In a nutshell, living life to the fullest means taking consistent, massive actions to develop your full potential in all areas of your life.
In doing so, you’ll be able to inspire others and have a positive impact on their lives.
“There is no greater joy nor greater reward than to make a fundamental difference in someone's life”. - Mary Rose McGeady
So, are you ready to find out how to live life to the fullest?
If so, keep reading and you’ll find the 8 life lessons from a pencil which - if followed - will allow you to get to the end of your life without regrets, and be proud of how you have lived.
“If you plan on being anything less than you are capable of being, you will probably be unhappy all the days of your life”. - Abraham Maslow
8 LIFE LESSONS FROM A PENCIL
1) WHAT IS TRULY IMPORTANT LIES WITHIN YOU
A pencil has two aspects to it, the outside, the wooden case, and the inside, which is the lead.
Its most important aspect is neither the wood nor its shape, but the lead it has inside.
Similarly, in our lives what matters the most is our inner world.
Always care about what happens inside you, your thoughts and emotions, because it is from within that our actions and outcomes arise.
If we dwell on negative thoughts and emotions we are most likely to take lousy actions which result in poor outcomes.
On the contrary, if we nurture our thoughts, we can experience positive feelings, and take powerful actions which in turn result in great outcomes.
“A single thought can change your world”. - Anthon St. Maarten
2) UNLESS YOU GO THROUGH SHARPENING, WHAT IS WITHIN YOU DOESN'T COME OUT
From time to time a pencil needs sharpening.
It causes a certain pain to the pencil, but in the end, it becomes sharper and your writing is more precise.
Life is pretty much the same; painful experiences and challenges come to us all.
It is through them that we have the opportunity to sharpen our characters and become better than we were before.
Unless you go through painful sharpening, your potential cannot manifest itself.
As they say, NO PAIN, NO GAIN!
“You may think pain is a barricade to success, but it's usually a bridge”. - Randy Gage
3) UNLESS WHAT IS WITHIN YOU - THE LEAD - COMES OUT YOU CANNOT MAKE AN IMPACT".
Only when the lead comes out of the case does the pencil actually make an impact by writing something on paper.
Similarly in our lives, unless what is within us comes out, we won’t be able to make an impact either on our own lives or those of others.
"Each person has the potential of making a positive impact on the world. It all depends on what you do with what you have". - Gary Chapman
4) TOO MUCH PRESSURE CAN BREAK YOU
Do you remember how annoyed you felt at school when your pencil’s tip broke off due to the high pressure you exerted while writing?
In life, it is exactly the same!
Putting too much pressure on yourself will cause you more harm than good.
So, find the time to rest and take a break.
Yet, make a rest a necessity, not an objective!
The objective of life is not to rest, but to act and grow.
“Rest when you’re weary. Refresh and renew yourself, your body, your mind, your spirit. Then get back to work”. - Ralph Marston
5) YOU CAN CORRECT YOUR MISTAKES
When you write you most certainly end up making mistakes.
What’s great is that the pencil works together with an eraser, thus, you can correct the mistakes you make.
Similarly, in our lives we all make mistakes.
What makes the difference is to look at them not as a hindrance, but as a school instead.
The mistakes we have made are lessons we can use to do better in the future.
“Mistakes are a part of the dues one pays for a full life”. - Sophia Loren
6) EVERYTHING YOU DO LEAVES A MARK
The pencil always leaves a mark.
Likewise, in everything you do in life, you’ll leave your own mark, hence, be aware of every action you take.
Don’t be afraid to be yourself.
Learn to make your own contribution in life.
Each pencil has its line to draw; its own purpose.
The line turns into words, and these words form a unique story – your story!
Never be afraid to draw your line, to fulfill your purpose.
“If you’re going to live, leave a legacy. Make a mark on the world that can’t be erased”. - Maya Angelou
7) THERE IS A HAND THAT GUIDES YOU
There is always a hand holding a pencil.
As a matter of fact, a pencil cannot make a mark by itself.
Similarly, you are able to do great things in life if there is a hand guiding you.
A mentor, a coach, your partner or whoever else may be the right person that can bring the best out of you.
Make sure you find them 😉
A good coach will make his players see what they can be rather than what they are”. - Ara Parseghian
8) IT WRITES TILL THE END
The pencil writes till the very end.
The same holds for your life.
You should grow, leave your mark and have a great impact till the day you leave this world, and not retire from making this world a better place.
“Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can”. - John Wesley
GET YOUR LEAD OUT AND LIVE YOUR LIFE FULL-OUT
Nobody else but you can fulfill the purpose you were born to accomplish.
Never allow yourself to be discouraged and think that your life is insignificant and cannot be changed.
Why should you settle for less than you possibly can, when you have everything within you to live your life to the fullest?
Remember that the most important part of who you are is inside of you, like the pencil.
Now, get your lead out, write your story and leave your mark.
Use the 8 lessons from a pencil as your road map to becoming all YOU can possibly be and live life full-out.
“The big challenge is to become all that you have the possibility of becoming. You cannot believe what it does to the human spirit to maximize your human potential and stretch yourself to the limit”. - Jim Rohn
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