Traveling the “Land of ER”
Paul White's nationally distributed syndicated column, “Traveling the land of ER” is published in 22 publications across seven states. This includes the following newspapers and digital publications: Midland Daily News (MI), SFGate (CA), Seattle PI (WA), Connecticut Post (CT), Laredo Morning Times (TX), Huron Daily Tribune (MI), The Telegraph (IL), and more. In this week's article, Paul takes a closer look at both sides of living in the “Land of ER" and shares a life tool that can move you to the highest mountaintop.
The land of ER … we all live there every day.
It infiltrates every area of our being and yet we tend to pay very little attention to it. We’re also rarely, if ever, challenged by anyone on it. It hides within our character traits, and we justify the subconscious strategic plan we employ in its use.
We employ it in how we choose to define ourselves regarding bettER, richER, healthiER, kindER, controllER, highER, encouragER, learnER, plannER, helpER, and more.
It’s important to note that there are two sides to each of these, one falling on the side of good and one falling on the side of unhealthy. I’d like to share a closer look at some of them and provide you a life tool that can move your life to the highest mountaintop.
How could there be an unhealthy side to bettER? Better is better, right? Well, not always. If you find yourself wanting to be better than another person, your primary motivation is likely misplaced. When it comes to personal use of the word better, it can only fall on the side of good if it denotes an improvement in oneself over a period of time. In other words, comparing ourselves where we are today to a point in our past. Self-motivation defined by comparing ourselves to others is based on envy, greed, jealousy, and negativity. Best use of the term better can be found by asking yourself this simple question: “Am I better today than I was yesterday?”
If you can consistently answer yes to that question, and can explain the reason why, you are well on your way to great success in life by utilizing the word bettER!
Ask 100 people if they would like to be richER and 99 will respond with “YES” assuming you’re referring to money. Money is how our current society measures whether someone is rich, and the pecking order is determined by comparing one’s own money (or possession) status with others money (or possession) status. But when I consider the richest people I know, it isn’t money nor possessions that come to my mind.
In fact, I see them as richER based on the relationships they have with their family, friends, co-workers, and neighbors; with the value they place on helping others; with observing the role some form of Faith plays in their life; and by their willingness to share their talents while treating others with kindness, compassion, and love.
If money’s ever a consideration, it’s the percent of their own that they give away. It appears they derive more joy in watching their wealth bring other people joy than acquiring things for themselves. Those reasons make them richER. Make it a habit to ask yourself each day: “Am I richer today than I was yesterday?” If you can consistently answer yes to that question, and can explain the reason why, you are well on your way to great success in life by utilizing the word richER!
People’s health typically refers to a person’s physical health. The healthiest people I know not only appear to enjoy great physical health, but their focus is applied daily with strategies to stay mentally fit. Their mastery of mental health is what allows them to live a joyful and happy life. Once again, they never appear to be measuring themselves with others. They’ve realized that mastery of both mental and physical health is best achieved through the daily question: “Am I healthier today than I was yesterday? If you can consistently answer yes to that question, and can explain the reason why, you are well on your way to great success in life by utilizing the word healthiER!
KindER is sort of self-explanatory. Having said that, it’s still important to measure yourself against yourself and not against others. Make it mandatory in your mind to ask yourself: Am I kinder today than I was yesterday?” If you can consistently answer yes to that question, and can explain the reason why, you are well on your way to great success in life by utilizing the word kindER!
Look, if you’re a controllER…take control of situations, not people. If you’re an encouragER…find ways to become a professional (every situation in the world will have a need for your services). If you want to get highER…leave the drugs and alcohol behind and take up meditation, journaling, or helping others (all represent highs that last). If you’re a plannER…utilize your planning skills for things that will result in having a positive impact on the world. Be a learnER to improve yourself, not to be smarter than others. HelpER?…remember my favorite Zig Ziglar quote: “You can get everything you want in life if you just HELP enough other people get what they want.”
While there’s dozens of words that end in ER that I could have utilized in this article, the goal was provide you with an opportunity to create your own path with ANY word ending in ER. And face it, YOU’RE SMART! You don’t need me to provide more examples nor give additional instructions.
If you want to live a life that’s bettER for all the right reasons, create your own life map based on your unique set of skills and knowledge and experience the joy that comes from pursuing the wonderful destinations that your map will lead you to. And remember, I Believe In You, so GiddyUp!
In addition to being a nationally syndicated columnist, Paul White is an author, motivational and inspirational speaker, entrepreneur, podcaster, and life coach located in Midland, Michigan. He offers self-help and culture development to start your journey towards consistent growth and joy. If you’re interested in getting in touch with Paul, please submit an inquiry via our Contact Page.