Sometimes My Life…

Recently, I’ve been focusing my studies and my attention toward topics of personal development. I’ve been reviewing things I’ve written here, and in other places, that deal with making me better.

I’m not really sure why that’s coming to the surface right now. I’ve learned in my creative side that when something moves from the back of my mind to the front of my mind it’s because I’m getting ready to deal with those things more. If I find myself thinking about an particular song or idea more and more, it’s a sign to me that, on a subconscious level, I’m ready to work on it.

So, maybe I’m getting ready to refocus on my own self-improvement again.

I’ve noticed that my work in that area ebbs and flows. Sometimes I focus hard on my goals and making my dreams real. Other times, I settle into a “groove of life” and coast. I’d like to be able to say that my whole life is one of constant progress and improvement, but that’s simply not the case. The reality is, however, that in the long run, I do get better. I make a push and I learn and grow, then I plateau and coast for a while, maybe even backslide a little. I make another push, and then rest.

I don’t think I’m all that strange in my patterns, either. I think we all go through “growth spurts” like that. I’m not sure that it’s a bad thing. But I think that if we’re aware of it, we can control it better. We can better take advantage of the times when we’re poised to grow, and we can keep from falling too far behind when we’re not.

A long time ago, I was noticing this as I was approaching a particular time of growth and pro-activeness in my life. It inspired me, and a very powerful song (at least to me) came out of it. Allow me to share the lyrics with you today:

Sometimes My Life
Words and Music by Mark Hansen, 12/14/98

Sometimes my life is like a river
It's hard to see around the bend
I just float along the current
Never knowing where it ends

Sometimes my life is like a highway
That stretches far as I can see
A long black stripe that I've been walking
A long black stripe ahead of me

Sometimes my life is like a mountain
It's easy to see but it's hard to climb
Sometimes my life is like a song
It's easy to sing but it's hard to rhyme

Sometimes I work against the current
Paddling upstream without an oar
I struggle hard and then I find
I'm a little closer to the shore

Sometimes I try to choose the highway
To take charge of my destiny
And each time I check my road map
I'm a little closer to eternity

Sometimes my life is like a mountain
It's easy to see but it's hard to climb
Sometimes my life is like a song
It's easy to sing but it's hard to rhyme

But I wanna climb that mountain
I wanna climb it all the way
And I'll be standing up there singing
And making rhymes for each new day

Sometimes my life is like a mountain
It's easy to see but it's hard to climb
Sometimes my life is like a song
It's easy to sing but it's hard to rhyme

But I'm gonna climb that mountain
I'm gonna climb it all the way
Then I'll be standing up there singing
And making rhymes for each new day

Now I'm gonna move that mountain
Move it to where I want to be
And I'll move it with a song
That rhymes me to eternity

It’s true that it’s much easier to look at the mountain than it is to climb it. It’s much easier to just hum the tune than it is to write it and to own it. It’s much easier to just raft down the river than it is to paddle and steer where you want to go.

Ultimately, however, easy doesn’t get you anywhere. It’s not easy to change your life. It’s not easy to make choices and follow through on them. It’s not easy to make a business or a life successful.

But it’s much more satisfying than the alternatives.

Mark is the co-director of http://seotrafficmagnet.com, the search marketing consulting arm of Clickincome (http://clickincome.com). Mark also has other sites and blogs, including MarkHansenMusic.com and his MoBoy blog.