A lucky young man was born
on the river. He had everything a young river-rafter might want. He had youth, strength, energy, and a certain, sexy
look. He had a wonderful family and amazing friends. He had money, a spectacular raft, a nimble mind and a bright future.
But he used up his youth in a few
short years. He used up his friends with a few well-placed lies. His mind began to stiffen. His family drifted out of his
life. He used all of his strength swimming against the current. He spent his money on trifles. His raft began to fall apart.
He drained the last of his resources trying to keep his good looks. These days, he uses what’s left of his looks to
make his way around the river.
I wonder how long he will last.
Certain pools in the river cannot
sustain life. These pools have been cut off from the flow of water so long that they have stagnated, and now only pond scum
grows there. Certain areas of your life can stagnate as well. Like it or not, you live in a world ruled by entropy.
Entropy
says that everything has a tendency to run down and become inert. In other words, everything tends to fall apart, including
your dreams, your health, your cars, your relationships, your arteries and your attitude. Unless you actively cultivate those
areas of your life that are important to you, you will lose those important areas of your life.
What falls victim to entropy? Well...
Are your toes harder to touch these
days?
Have you started to notice your skin
sagging?
Do you run slower than you used to?
Have you ever felt like your friends
are driving you crazy?
Have you ever considered giving up,
getting even, or getting out?
Have you ever lost hope, lost energy,
lost faith, or lost desire?
Have you ever fallen out of love,
out of friendship, or lost sight of yourself?
If you answered “yes”
to any of these questions, then you have fallen victim to entropy.
You need to become aware of the signs
of decay in your life, so you can take action to prevent that decay. If you want something to grow, then you must budget all
the time, energy and focus that it requires for growing. Otherwise, when you need it most, it will be gone.
You have seven major life assets
that need nourishment. They are:
1. Your body
2. Your emotions
3. Your mind
4. Your spirit
5. Your environment
6. Your finances
7. Your relationships
Strategies for nourishing your seven major life assets are
examined fully in A River Worth Riding: Fourteen Rules for Navigating Life. You'll find links to Amazon.com in our
Galley should you wish to purchase a copy. If you would like to read the rest of this chapter without purchasing a copy of
the book, click here.
What's the bottom
line on entropy?
Whatever you don’t use, you lose. Entropy will always keep you on your toes.
So don’t neglect your assets: your body, your emotions, your mind, your spirit, your environment, your
finances and your relationships.
If you don’t like how they’ve been growing, then try changing their diet. You’ll be surprise
at how much these assets feed you, when properly fed themselves.
Entropy can even be your friend.
Strangely enough, entropy makes evolution
possible. DNA is subject to entropy. DNA is sometimes transferred to an offspring with tiny imperfections. But those tiny
imperfections can sometimes become an improvement in the species. Those tiny imperfections can even become the start of a
new species.
New plants grow in the decaying earth.
If nothing ever broke, we would never
learn change.
Don’t be afraid of entropy.
Just learn to honor its lessons. Develop a pace that you can maintain your whole journey because you will never be able to
stop rowing completely.
Entropy
will keep you moving your whole life.
