The past few weeks have given me a lot to think about…
I’ve found myself wondering about what is most important to me in life. Many times I have asked myself the question:
What if today is my last chance to leave a mark on the planet? Will I be satisfied with what I am leaving behind?
While recent circumstance may have accelerated this closer to the top of my priority list, it still serves us all well to stop and consider: what kind of a legacy are we leaving?
Today we live in an amazing age where we all have an incredible opportunity to touch lives. Never before have we been able to communicate and influence so many people at the same time. Social media has given us a powerful vehicle to have a positive impact on the world. What many could only dream of in the past, is now a daily reality for most of us…
How are you using these opportunities? In what way can you reach out and share the gifts that you’ve been given to lift others?
If you have had challenges in your life lately, chances are that there is something that you have learned that you can pass along to help another in the same situation. Our gifts usually come wrapped up in a challenge, so remember to open them up, learn from them and share the value that you gain by growing through them.
Today is your chance to leave a legacy… will you be satisfied if it is your last chance?
February 1st, 2010 in
Attitude,
Goals |
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Martin Luther King Jr.
In the United States, today is Martin Luther King Jr day. It is a day of rememberance for a great man who had the courage to stand for a great cause that he was willing to lay his life down for.
Martin Luther King Jr faced great adversity in his mission but found a reason to move forward despite the challenges…
The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.
Martin Luther King Jr., Strength to Love, 1963
The legacy of a teacher is not the name they create for themselves, but the impact on the lives of those they serve. So, even more important than recognizing the teacher, today should be a day of reflecting on the lessons left behind.
The greatest honor that we can give to Martin Luther King Jr. is to listen to his counsel… though many of the social issues have changed in the last 40 years, there is timeless wisdom in his teachings that are just as important today – if not more so. In today’s global society, the teachings of love, harmony, forgiveness and courage may be exactly what we need to heal wounds caused by ignorance and indifference.
Here are a few of the teachings that we might be able to incorporate today:
- “Forgiveness is not an occasional act, it is a constant attitude.” – Is there a way that you forgive someone today?
- “An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.” – How can you rise above your own worries today to serve a greater purpose?
- “I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.” – Are you allowing hate to burden your thoughts?
- “Only in the darkness can you see the stars.” – You might have troubles right now, we all do… can you see the silver lining, though? Every challenge has a gift to those who will open their eyes.
- “Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy to a friend.” – How can you live more peacably with those you may have hard feelings toward?
- “Never forget that everything Hitler did in Germany was legal.” – Just because someone says that something is right, doesn’t mean it is. Check in with your conscience and listen to your soul… it won’t lead you wrong.
- “Let no man pull you low enough to hate him.” – We can’t control what others do, but we are in absolute control of how we respond… Are you letting your perceptions of others bring you down?
- “A man can’t ride your back unless it’s bent.” – We choose what we allow to bother us. Today, choose to be a duck. Let it roll off your back like water.
Martin Luther King, Jr. had a dream, what will you do today to be a part of that dream?
By letting just one teaching change your life, you will be someone’s dream come true…
If I cannot forgive myself for all the blunders
That I have made over the years,
Then how can I proceed?
How can I ever dream perfection-dreams?
Move, I must, forward.
Fly, I must, upward.
Dive, I must, inward,
To be once more
What I truly am
And shall forever remain.
- Sri Chinmoy
January 14th, 2010 in
Quotes |
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I’m not perfect, not even close. 
I really like who I am, but I recognize that I have a lot of short-comings. Both in the way that I see things (my perception of the world and those in it), and also in the way that I put into practice those beliefs (my application).
When we are wrong in the way that we see things, we are ignorant. (ie: The map is not the territory) When we are wrong in the actions we take, we are in transgression.
Mistakes Are Only Feedback
I like to think of both as missing the mark. The first because we are looking at the wrong target, the second because we are careless or irresponsible in the way that we shoot the bow.
Both are falling short of perfection, but neither need be the end of the world. Instead of seeing our shortcomings as failures, we need to recognize them as feedback.
What Matters Most Is How We Deal With Mistakes
Once we realize that we have fallen short of the mark, we then get to make a choice on how to deal with it. The end result of our choice is always alignment, but the way we go about it has a huge impact on how well it works.
The Common Approach
Justification is about being right. It is the process of making our actions come into harmony with our mindset, by changing the way we see things. This is when we say, “I was justified in doing ABC because so-and-so did XYZ”, or, “anyone would have done the same thing if they were in my situation.”
The basic theme of this approach is that the fault or cause is external. Something outside of our control, so we responded (reacted) to it according to the way we saw it. Justification causes us to change the external to match our actions.
The Road Less Traveled
Sanctification is not about “being right”, but about making it right. This is when we are willing to see the situation through an objective mind and accept responsibility. We swallow our pride and say: “What I did was wrong, and I’m willing to own up to it, and make it right. I am going to change not only actions, but my mindset. I will honestly examine my mindset & my beliefs so that I won’t repeat this same pattern in the future.” Sanctification causes us to change our actions & perceptions to match what is right.
The Choice Is Ours
Justification is a never-ending cycle that gets us the same thing over and over again. Because we are continually selling out our integrity to cover up our mistakes, it’s like changing our course to follow a star that is moving in the horizon.
“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.” ~ Albert Einstein
Sanctification, however, is a process of growth. It is asking “what in me is causing this to happen?”, followed by “How can I chance MYSELF so that this won’t happen again?” It forces us to be humble enough to accept responsibility for the entire situation, whether it is our fault or not. It might not be my fault, but it is my responsibility is the motto of the proactive person.
The world is filled with opportunities for your growth… will you take them?
Justification & Sanctification
I’m not perfect, not even close.
I really like who I am, but I recognize that I have a lot of short-comings. Both in the way that I see things (my perception of the
world and those in it), and also in the way that I put into practice those beliefs (my application).
When we are wrong in the way that we see things, this is ignorance. (ie: The map is not the territory) When we are wrong in the actions we
take, this is transgression.
I like to think of both as missing the mark. The first because we are looking at the wrong target, the second because we are careless
or irresponsible in the way that we shoot the bow.
Both are falling short of perfection, but neither need be the end of the world. Instead of seeing our shortcomings as failures, we
need to recognize them as feedback.
What Matters Most Is How We Deal with It
Once we realize that we have fallen short of the mark, we then get to make a choice on how to deal with it. The end result of our
choice is always alignment, but the way we go about it has a huge impact on how well it works.
The common approach
Justification is about being right. It is the process of making our actions come into harmony with our mindset, by changing the way
we see things. This is when we say, “I was justified in doing ABC because so-and-so did XYZ”, or, “anyone would have done the same
thing if they were in my situation.”
The basic theme of this approach is that the fault or cause is external. Something outside of our control, so we responded (reacted)
to it according to the way we saw it. Justification causes us to change the external to match our actions.
The Road Less Traveled
Sanctification is not about “being right”, but about making it right. This is when we are willing to see the situation through an
objective mind and accept responsibility. We swallow our pride and say: “What I did was wrong, and I’m willing to own up to it, and
make it right. I am going to change not only actions, but my mindset. I will honestly examine my mindset & my beliefs so that I won’t
repeat this same pattern in the future.” Sanctification causes us to change our actions & perceptions to match what is right.
The Choice Is Ours
Justification is a never-ending cycle that gets us the same thing over and over again. (insanity is doing the same thing over and over
again and expecting a different result. OR, in other words, seeing the problem as the situation: “if i was with a person who ABC,
then…”, “the problem is cause by the economy, the weather, the actions of other people, etc”.
Sanctification is a process of growth. It is asking “what in me is causing this to happen?” Followed by “How can I chance MYSELF so
that this won’t happen again?” It forces us to be humble enough to accept responsibility for the entire situation, whether it is our
fault or not. It might not be my fault, but it is my responsibility is the motto of the proactive person.
“To be angry is so stupid that it is inconceivable that intelligent human beings go on doing it. Somebody else is doing something and you are getting angry? He may be doing something wrong, he may be saying something wrong, he may be making some effort to humiliate you, to insult you – but that is his freedom. If you react, you are a slave. If you say to the person, ‘it is your joy to insult me, it is my joy not to be angry,’ you are behaving like a master.” ~ Buddha
January 5th, 2010 in
Quotes |
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