This month as part of the Master Key Experience (MKE) the daily reading is Scroll V of The Greatest Salesman. In this scroll, Mandino talks about living in the present. First he focuses on forgetting about the past.
“I will waste not a moment mourning yesterday’s misfortunes, yesterday’s defeats, yesterday’s aches of the heart, for why should I throw good after bad?”
Og Mandino, The Greatest Salesman
Why would he start out with mentioning this? The answer is simple in that we can’t change the past, what’s done is done so there’s no reason to rehash it or focus on it. He then focuses on tomorrow, specifically not thinking about it by asking a simple question.
“Why should I throw now after maybe?”
Og Mandino, The Greatest Salesman
In other words we don’t know what tomorrow may bring so why be concerned about things that may not be seen or worry about something that may not happen.
Throughout Scroll V Mandino drives home a point about how each of us should live life. Over and over he makes the following point while keeping the focus on the present.
“I will live this day as if it is my last”
Og Mandino, The Greatest Salesman
I find this to be a powerful approach to life because it focuses on making every hour, every minute, every second of the day count. Living in the present means fully realizing and understanding that once that time is gone, it can’t be gotten back. It’s gone forever so treat like they are priceless, make the most of them. Og also talks about taking a moment to think with a grateful heart about those who are no longer here.
“I will beat upon my heart with gratitude as I consider all who greeted yesterday’s sunrise who are no longer with the living today.”
Og Mandino, The Greatest Salesman
This month one of our tasks is to read at least one obituary every day. The first few days and maybe even a week or so it didn’t make complete sense. I found it difficult to think about what Og asks in terms of had they accomplished their purpose or what they might give to have had one more day before being called to their eternal home. When I would look at who I had said goodbye to over the years – grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins and family friends I don’t think I thought about in that light. But then one night as I was thinking after a read it hit home, becoming really personal as I had to say goodbye to my adopted son in 2015. As I re-read those questions Og asked I realized again that even though he wasn’t here long he taught us so much. At the time I thought it was seeing the joy in tough situations, gratitude for all experiences, living life, but it’s more. In actuality it was to do what Og mentions numerous times in Scroll V, to make each day the BEST day of my life because you never know if tomorrow will come.
For that is what the person I intend to become would do.
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