“Keep your eyes on your own plate, and enjoy your meal!”
This was my mom’s repetitive mantra at the dinner table in the late 70’s as she surely fought off the urge to dropkick my brother and me as we argued about who got more mashed potatoes, or too many vegetables, or not the same amount of rice.
At the time, I don’t think she was trying to convey wisdom so much as she was simply trying to get us to shut up, but still: DEEP wisdom lives in this mantra. How would your life be different if you kept your eyes on your own plate and enjoyed your meal?
We seem to go through life chasing the intangible. We even have an expression–“keeping up with the Joneses”–that we use to describe this impossible chase. At some point in our lives, usually when it’s too late, we realize the Joneses are full of crap. They are in debt, too; they have marital problems, too; they have issues with their kids, too; they stress about their careers, too. While you were trying to keep up with them, they were trying to keep up with you. Now you’re both in it deep.
Keep your eyes on your own plate, and enjoy your meal.
This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t endeavor for more. It’s in our nature to move towards growth and success. But while doing so, don’t let the quest for more blind you to what you already have. Give yourself the time to be grateful for what you already have. Let the gratitude for today fuel your journey toward tomorrow. Comparing your blessings with what you perceive to be another’s is the greatest way to dilute them.
Enjoy what you have. Be grateful. Move in the direction of your own personal growth and success, not that of another. Be you. You will NEVER be great at being someone else.
* Dr. Steve Maraboli is a Keynote Speaker, Bestselling Author, and Behavioral Science Academic. He has delivered his life-changing speeches in over 30 countries and his words have been share and published throughout the world in more than 25 languages. His latest bestselling book is, “Unapologetically You”.