I went on a great, long bicycle ride the other day. I rode along the Coquitlam river, through lush forest, along a dyke through a marsh, and around Lafarge Lake. Beautiful. I’m quite fit now, the bike goes great, and I saw a coyote, a number squirrels, and a magnificent blue heron. No problem, except on the way home, when I got a stabbing pain in my right big toe every time I depressed the pedal.

Are You Battling Intrusive Pain?

All the way home, I battled with this intrusive pain. It spoiled the ride home considerably.

I took my shoe off, examined my toe, nothing to see. Mystery. Frustration. All my attention started focusing on my sore toe in the midst of all the natural beauty surrounding me.

Strong Light Reveals the Source of Pain

I got home, took a good look in the strong bathroom light, and found a minute splinter that must have got into my shoe (I wasn’t wearing socks) and stuck in under my toe. I managed to remove the tiny thing with a tweezers. Such a small splinter certainly had a dramatic effect on my journey.

What is Your Splinter?

On your journey through life, what is your splinter? More specifically, WHO is your splinter?

• What e-mails / phone calls / contacts / meetings do you dread?
• Who spoils your day?

Usually someone whom we think we need or someone who has leverage on us, often a family member.

• Who is it that, once removed from your life, would allow the sun would come out from behind the clouds?
• Who is the spoiler, the “stone in your shoe” as the Mafia say, the one who pours cold water on your hopes and dreams and stinks up your life?
• Who is stealing your rainbow?

Removing Splinters

Since most people don’t change, and freedom is my highest value, I have learned to pay the price to remove splinter people from my life, no matter who they are.

1. Generally, they’re negative parasites who don’t care about you (read “Atlas Shrugged” for a great example of this type of family member) or your welfare.
2. Often they’re jealous, resentful, bitter losers who blame you for their bad choices.
3. Many times, they’re passive aggressive.
4. In all cases, you’re better off without them.

You are Entitled to Joy

Ayn Rand said,

“Achievement of your happiness is the only moral purpose of your life, and that happiness, not pain or mindless self-indulgence, is the proof of your moral integrity, since it is the proof and the result of your loyalty to the achievement of your values.”

Stop compromising, and stop sacrificing your own happiness; start living!  It’s your life, and you are entitled to joy, fulfillment and the fruit of your labor, in spite of what the mystics and socialists tell you.

Life is short, and you deserve the consequences of your choices. You are not obliged to pay for the bad choices that other people make. You’re not a slave to anyone, and people who care about you don’t hurt you. It has to work both ways – give and take; leeches, guilt-mongers, and passengers have to pay their way or get off the bus.

Sacrifice and Serving

When you summon the strength and resolve to kick the losers out of your life / remove the splinters, you will be amazed at how fast you can soar to unprecedented heights of success and peace of mind. Ayn Rand said,

“I swear, by my life and my love of it, that I will never live for the sake of another man, nor ask another man to live for mine.”

I encourage you to take your life back, and to break free from mental and emotional slavery. Ayn Rand again:

“It only stands to reason that where there’s sacrifice, there’s someone collecting the sacrificial offerings. Where there’s service, there is someone being served. The man who speaks to you of sacrifice is speaking of slaves and masters, and intends to be the master.”

The best way to predict the future is to create it, so remove the splinters from your toes and your heart, get on your bike, and enjoy your journey through life. It’s not too late, and there’s a wonderful world out there, waiting for free people to enjoy it!