People of a certain age will remember the Wendy’s slogan from the ’80s. The slogan attacked a competing fast food chain restaurant implying that you got more meat with Wendy’s hamburger. The slogan took hold and got life outside of Wendy’s and advertising. The slogan was used to challenge ideas, other products and became commonplace to question the substance in question. Politicians proposed new policies and the counter would be “where’s the beef”, which brought into question the desired outcome. So today I question “where’s the beef” when I look at what did I accomplish today, what value did I bring to the world today? Somedays the answer is not much which is always disappointing. I wonder in my retirement years what is my purpose? What should I be doing that will ensure that I’m not wasting my time just waiting to die. What should I be doing that will ensure that I have a good response to my “beef” question?
I haven’t found the be all end all solid answer to that big question yet. I’m not sure that I ever will. I not sure that there is or even should be an answer. Some people volunteer for non-profits, their church or other worthwhile organization. While they are giving of their time and talent, I think they like what they get in return. That good feeling of giving, and helping creates a sense of value in return. There is also some ego involved,.I know because I’ve been there and done that and while you don’t do it solely for that reason you do get an ego pump at least I do. To be completely honest it feels good so that feedback makes you want to continue. While that is all well and good I think there is value in other more simple ways.
I think it is important to continue to be a good example with how you live your life. So what does that mean? Well, I try and do all the little things the right way. I try and set the example for my children and grandchildren and my community, I’m far from perfect but I have lived my life with the motto of “do the right thing”, and I continue to do so. What does that mean, it means in everything you do including what foods I consume, how I exercise, sleep, alcohol consumption, daily reading, media consumption, stress and all of other aspects of healthy living I try and do what is healthy and best for my physical well being. I also follow this credo in how I interact with people that I have contact with daily. I try and make the interaction as pleasant and productive as I can. I never want to leave a situation with a person worse than when I started. Yes that can be difficult when your in a hurry or upset but much like choosing to eat healthy it is a choice to engage in a positive interaction rather than a negative one. Sometimes it is near to impossible because the other person wants the drama and may insist upon creating conflict. But, it takes two so I can choose to avoid those types of interactions. I can just walk away or I can diffuse the situation. I always have said that I don’t have to do crazy, and what that means is I can chose to remain calm and clearheaded and not be dragged into someone else’s poor reaction to a real or perceived crisis. . How I view the interaction creates the stamp of what that interaction really is. If I view it as a confrontation where I have little control over the outcome and then that is a negative interaction. But in reality I can control myself and how I respond. Granted I can’t control the other party but I can certainly decide to not do crazy. How I respond creates my reality of the situation. So I don’t do crazy because it doesn’t bring any value to my life and it certainly doesn’t improve the situation. Crisis will occur, bad things will happen. Of course it is easy to say but can be difficult to do. Emotions can run high during a crisis which makes it difficult to think, so I try and practice daily, pausing a few seconds before responding to highly charged situations. I practice taking a couple deep breaths and clearing my mind attempting to gain control over my thoughts before doing anything.
So yes this is part of the daily practice of adding value by trying to set a good example. No it may not be making big changes in the world but I believe that if I do the right thing and others do the right thing that overall it helps. In these times of social outrage when it seems everyone is competing to see who can be offended more and who can best demonstrate they belong to their particular tribe. It is important to show that people over tribes and that a sense of self worth and resiliency are extremely valuable attributes. So live life like someone is watching. Set the example and maybe it will make an impact that will survive you. So beef up your life and do the right thing, it is important.