Warning: This post has nothing to do with dieting. I have very little to say about that. The reference relates to motivation. Check out this illustration. A friend of mine had a new hunting dog. It was well trained, and had shown excellent ability on several hunts. But on the first day he took her out alone, trainer gone, the dog failed miserably. In fact, it just sat under a shade tree all day sleeping. My friend called the trainer who visited early next morning and the dog did fine. But next time out, without the trainer the dog returned to her slumber. After a few phone calls the mystery was solved. Turns out my friend was feeding the dog a hearty breakfast before the hunt believing she’d need the energy. Wrong. Hunting dogs chase because they’re hungry. It’s their ultimate objective-chase, catch, eat. Fill their bellies and the chase is meaningless.
Many bright, capable people I know have stopped the chase. They’ve accomplished what they set out to do and now they’re sleeping under shade trees, bellies full, content, comfortable…the hunger gone…meaningfulness gone. In time, for many, a critical spirit creeps in, a grouchiness, a “get off my lawn,” mentality. We’ve all seen the old curmudgeon character displayed in countless movies, or we know neighbors or friends with sour dispositions. Some have legitimate struggles, many just have stopped living…stopped the chase.
Don’t stop the chase. I started a second career-thirty years in the legal profession, then a sharpe turn into the creative world when most my age believe tis the season to chill. Let me say something that seems a little controversial, maybe a bit un-American, but I firmly believe we were never made to let our days float by, or at worst slowly fuse into our couches. Beware, retirement is a danger zone where meaningfulness can easily be lost. There’s nothing wrong with the occasional sleep under the shade tree, but that should be the exception, not the rule, not our pattern of existence at any age.
Stay hungry, keep chasing, keep your life meaningful, until your last breath.
About the Author
A.M. Peters grew up on the Eastside of Los Angeles, raised by parents who never graduated from high school. The eldest of five siblings, Peters defied all odds by graduating from prestigious U.C.L.A. and Loyola Law School.For eleven years, he thrived as a successful trial lawyer in criminal law with the Los Angeles Public Defender. At an impressive age of 37, he was sworn into the Los Angeles Superior Court Judiciary, presiding over a high-stakes criminal law courtroom for two decades. But the frustrations with the system led him to an epiphany, understanding that real heart change rarely comes from shackles and cold cells but from stories, like Jesus’ parables that enter the soul through the back door of the imagination. Choosing to retire early, A.M. Peters pursued his greater purpose and passion for storytelling.He has written three novels, Sacred Duty, American Red, and Captured, a trilogy that embodies the struggles of broken soldiers, their redemptive journeys, and quests to find real love and meaning.He has also written a T.V. series being pitched currently to multiple streaming platforms.