HIPS: Finding The Sweet Spot In Life

Printed with permission

By Bryan Hyde

Would you rather have your life planned out or just go with the flow?

Whether we’re goal-setters or prefer to fly by the seat of our pants, it’s a safe bet that life will be throwing some curve balls at us in the form of unexpected change.

And here’s where we have to strike a balance if we wish to avoid living in a state of fear.

Too much focus on the future brings anxiety. Too much focus on the past can bring depression.  Living a life of purpose, in the present, is the sweet spot that brings peace of mind.

When we concentrate on living with purpose, it’s much easier to recognize all the things that are going right in our lives. It brings perspective.

C.S. Lewis reminded us that we ought not be so fearful of death, given that it is a certainty for every person alive. He wasn’t being fatalistic.

Instead, he recommended that we put the bulk of our attention on living in such a way that we don’t allow our fears of what might happen to dictate how we live. 

If we focus on those things which we are told are a threat to us, we tend to operate in a mindset of fear. 

On the other hand, if we look for opportunities to improve the world in our immediate vicinity, we tend to find greater hope and purpose.

This is a choice we must make for ourselves.

* Hyde In Plain Sight is written by KDXU personality Bryan Hyde. Catch his daily HIPS vignette at 7:50-ish every weekday morning on KDXU and listen to The Bryan Hyde Show weekends at 7 p.m. Saturday and 6 p.m. Sunday nights.