Everyone treasures something.
Some treasure money.
Some treasure status.
Some treasure comfort.
Others treasure people, purpose, truth, and love.
What you treasure eventually reveals who you are.
There are many lessons to be learned during our brief stay here that we call life.
Some lessons arrive gently.
Others arrive kicking and screaming.
Many of them we learn after the fact, which can be painful, frustrating, and expensive.
But there is another way.
A better way.
A way that asks us to pay attention before the lesson becomes necessary.
The purpose of life is to live a life of purpose.
It really is that simple.
USE THE MORAL COMPASS.
Your beliefs are the rudder of your life.
They quietly steer your course while you are busy doing other things.
A faulty belief can send a ship miles off course.
A healthy belief can guide it safely through storms.
That is why beliefs should be tested.
Not once.
Continually.
Examine them.
Challenge them.
Refine them.
Strengthen them.
Then proceed.
A life built upon strong beliefs develops strong character.
A life built upon weak beliefs eventually struggles beneath its own weight.
THE TREE OF WHO YOU ARE.
Long before I wrote books, I became fascinated with people.
Not what they said.
But what they consistently did.
A person can tell you anything.
Actions tell the truth.
The scriptures describe this beautifully:
A tree is known by its fruit.
You are the tree.
Your actions are the fruit.
Your priorities are the fruit.
Your character is the fruit.
Your relationships are the fruit.
Your reputation is the fruit.
Good tree.
Good fruit.
Bad tree.
Bad fruit.
The fruit never lies.
THE TREASURE IS NOT HARD TO SPOT.
Want to know what someone values?
Watch where they spend their time.
Watch where they spend their attention.
Watch where they spend their energy.
Watch where they spend their resources.
The treasure reveals itself.
A devoted parent treasures their children.
A caring spouse treasures their marriage.
A teacher treasures their students.
A servant treasures the people they serve.
A gardener treasures the garden.
A writer treasures words.
An artist treasures beauty.
A seeker treasures truth.
The heart always leaves clues.
REAL ESTATING.
Over the years I met many people in business.
Some were interested only in commissions.
Others genuinely cared about people.
The difference was obvious.
One viewed clients as transactions.
The other viewed clients as human beings.
Guess which one prospered over the long haul?
People respond to authenticity.
People recognize sincerity.
People appreciate those who place character before profit.
The heart reveals itself.
PUBLIC SERVICE.
The same principle applies everywhere.
Public servants.
Teachers.
Ministers.
Business owners.
Parents.
Neighbors.
Friends.
The people who serve well are usually the people who care deeply.
They understand something important.
Life is not about accumulating.
Life is about contributing.
WE ALL HAVE A HEART.
And eventually it tells on us.
Not through our words.
Through our lives.
The heart determines priorities.
Priorities determine choices.
Choices determine actions.
Actions determine outcomes.
Outcomes determine legacy.
The chain begins within.
As I wrote in Pearls for the Soul:
“What occupies your inner world eventually appears in your outer world.”
LOOK WITHIN.
Before examining anyone else’s heart, examine your own.
That is where the real work begins.
Ask yourself:
What do I truly value?
What occupies my thoughts?
What receives my attention?
What do I pursue?
What do I defend?
What do I cherish?
The answers will reveal your treasure.
And where your treasure lies…
There lies your heart also.
WHAT THEN?
Protect your heart.
Feed it wisely.
Challenge it honestly.
Refine it continually.
Fill it with things that are true.
Things that are right.
Things that are just.
Things that are meaningful.
Then put those things to work.
Because a good heart was never meant to sit idle.
It was meant to bear good fruit.
And that fruit was meant to bless the world.
— Richie
Pearls for the Soul
when you feed the soul, you feed everything.
https://pearlsforthesoul.com
Been expecting you