In the movie City Slickers (1991), Curly tells Mitch the secret of life. “One thing. Just one thing.” Mitch asks, “What is the one thing?” To which Curly replies “That’s what you have to find out.” Now, I’m not going to profess I know what that “one thing” is for everyone but I will give a suggestion on one thing that may be a lifetime pursuit. That is to be a good person.

Being a good person falls into a fairly wide spectrum of definition. Maybe even a little gray area. I’m not here to define it for you. I’m just going to speak as one who needs daily practice to meet her ideal definition.

Maybe being a good person rarely comes naturally. It takes hard work. It takes effort. It takes going against instinct a lot. But that is the journey of life. We are here to learn to make better choices. Realize we are all connected. To improve.

If we were supposed to return “as-is” this life would be much shorter. And so much easier. So, I don’t really think that’s the case.

You did something stupid today. You chose poorly. Do better tomorrow. That’s what tomorrow is for. Each tomorrow you are given an opportunity to be a good human. Practice today. Adjust tomorrow. Keep working at it. Don’t be discouraged but look at failures as learning lessons.

You can do better. You have a lifetime to work at it. You, yes you staring back from the mirror, can become a good person.