The Road Less Travelled

One of my all time favorite books is "The Road Less Travelled" by the late M. Scott Peck, M.D. It truly changed my life when I read it for the very first time so many years ago now.I especially appreciated his recipe for mental health which includes 4 precepts: responsibility, dedication to truth, delayed gratification, and balance.

Responsibility includes taking absolute responsibility for everything we do, say, and even think about. It means NEVER blaming others for what happens to us. It means taking complete responsibility for even the way we respond to another. When we begin to feel like a victim we are often NOT accepting responsibility for where we are. Responsibility also includes doing what we promise others and what we promise OURSELVES.

Dedication to truth means committing oneself to honesty in all we do. It means never to intend to confuse, dodge, mislead, manipulate, lie, or delude anyone ever. This includes ourselves.

Delayed gratification has to do with putting off rewards until the hard work is done. (see blog entry entitled "Eat the Frog"). It means doing the things that are not pleasant FIRST so that we can enjoy the benefits of our intended efforts. It also entails not looking for fast fixes or artificial substances to make us happy or content.

Lastly, is balance. This involves making sure we are balanced in all we do whether this is work or play, intimacy or being apart, rest or effort, what we eat, what think about, etc. If we seek balance in all we do we will always find homeostasis in our lives. When we are feeling tired, depressed, angry, or exuberant we are often out of balance. My grandmother taught me long ago that when I am very excited or very down DO NOT make big decisions.