Our biggest lessons can come from the smallest of things.
It might come from a smile, the stars in the night sky, a grain of sand at the beach, a sentence in a book, a scene in a movie, a word from a friend, a lyric in a song, a collective piece of art. For me today, it came from having coffee with two gentlemen - one i have grown to see as my mentor/friend and another i was meeting for the very first time.
We often think that to learn a BIG lesson we must go through a BIG trial however my experience leads me to believe that it's quite the opposite. Many of the biggest lessons that we can learn from are hidden in the smaller things of life. This past weekend i learnt some lessons from simply listening to how i speak - about myself, about others, about God, about life. It was interesting to see that although i noticed what i could be doing better, others didn't. It's not that they were bad friends but rather it was a method which i could learn things.
If we want to learn patience we might learn it in a traffic jam or by withholding the urge to jump the queue whilst waiting for our coffee. If we want to learn how to serve we might learn it by assisting that pregnant woman that doesn't have a seat or seeing the need for a pen whilst in a meeting. If we want to learn right-thinking we might learn it by speaking something positive about the person everyone chooses to bag out or by stepping back for a moment in a situation where personally adjusting your perspective will make a difference.
Whilst having coffee today, the gentlemen i had never met before challenged me in a few areas. One of them being the area of accountability. He said "Sex, money and power are three temptations every man (woman) should stay accountable for". He then went on to explain how each of these three areas can affect us all and be detrimental to our field of work (like Bill Clinton or Tiger Woods). When we choose to stay honest and accountable in these three areas, we then begin to prosper.
Private victories always precede public victories.
The other lesson i learnt was about failing. Once again this man i had just met challenged me in this area. He said "It's okay to fail as long as we understand the why. Learning to fail differently every day would look like progress on a chart. It's only when we fail in the same area again and again that the problems arise". We will all fail at some point in our lives, even if you try not to. But fact is some failure will always precede success. Learn from your mistakes, apply it to your life and choose to move forward with this new understanding.
So today, this week, this month, this year look for the BIG lessons that lie in the small opportunities.
ps bazz
Monday, March 15, 2010
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Awaken.
I'm sitting here, thinking of things to write but my mind just seems to be blank.
We can learn so much from moments like these. Where our minds are still but our world is still in motion. All around us people are doing life. All around us people are living their dream. All around us people are making choices - good and bad ones.
A few days ago i watched the movie "Wall-E". I know, it's a kids movie and yes, it's quite old BUT none the less i watched it with a few friends of mine. It was an interesting watch from which i could learn so many lessons from. The biggest thing that struck me was the fact that these people thought they were 'living the life' but essentially they had all been so misguided and blinded by this false ideal life. In one of the scenes the captain responds with the statement "I DON'T WANT TO JUST SURVIVE, I WANT TO LIVE".
Wow. What a statement. How many times have we settled for the 'ideal life' only to come to a place where we are discontent with our current state and don't want to just survive, but want to live. I think it's moments like these (no, we dont need minties) that can become a defining moment for us. It can be a catalyst for change and growth. It can become an opportunity of a lifetime. It can be a lesson we can learn from firsthand.
You definitely would've heard people say "You only live once". What do you take away from that statement? Are your dreams becoming reality or is reality robbing your dream. Are your relationships flourishing or are they dying. Are you constantly growing, learning and producing good fruit or are you lacking in growth, become more immature and producing little.
Our life was not meant to be locked in a "Survival Mode"; we were all called to truly live.
Awaken your soul.
ps bazz
We can learn so much from moments like these. Where our minds are still but our world is still in motion. All around us people are doing life. All around us people are living their dream. All around us people are making choices - good and bad ones.
A few days ago i watched the movie "Wall-E". I know, it's a kids movie and yes, it's quite old BUT none the less i watched it with a few friends of mine. It was an interesting watch from which i could learn so many lessons from. The biggest thing that struck me was the fact that these people thought they were 'living the life' but essentially they had all been so misguided and blinded by this false ideal life. In one of the scenes the captain responds with the statement "I DON'T WANT TO JUST SURVIVE, I WANT TO LIVE".
Wow. What a statement. How many times have we settled for the 'ideal life' only to come to a place where we are discontent with our current state and don't want to just survive, but want to live. I think it's moments like these (no, we dont need minties) that can become a defining moment for us. It can be a catalyst for change and growth. It can become an opportunity of a lifetime. It can be a lesson we can learn from firsthand.
You definitely would've heard people say "You only live once". What do you take away from that statement? Are your dreams becoming reality or is reality robbing your dream. Are your relationships flourishing or are they dying. Are you constantly growing, learning and producing good fruit or are you lacking in growth, become more immature and producing little.
Our life was not meant to be locked in a "Survival Mode"; we were all called to truly live.
Awaken your soul.
ps bazz
Monday, March 1, 2010
Sixty.
It has been sixty days since 2010 begun.
It's a new day. It's a new month. It's a new season.
When you look back on the last sixty days of your life, what do you see?
How does it make you feel?
What thoughts, images, emotions come to mind?
For me the last sixty days of my life have been amazing. Three of my friends have either proposed or been proposed to, my first dog passed away, I began a new career, I have gained new mentors, I have celebrated four parties, I have attended my friends fathers funeral, I have been single for valentines day, I became a part of a youth committee, I made brand new friends, I joined twitter and I started a blog.
Although it may seem like a small number of days, each of them for me have been significant, especially the last 21. It had been almost eight months since i had really spoken or even hung out with one of my closest friends (so close that i call him my brother). You might find it strange that if his one of my closest friends why would it be eight months since we last met; I find it strange too.
However, from day 1 to day 21 i have seen this young man's life totally changed and transformed. We began with an individual who literally believed they were nothing but ended with an individual that discovered purpose. We began with an individual who was discouraged, unhappy, discontent and unsatisfied but ended with an individual who was encouraged, happy, content and satisfied.
When we give someone time, it means so much to them.
When we give someone words, it means so much to them.
When we give someone love, it means so much to them.
Let's never discredit or discount what ONE day can do for someone. Everyone has a story to tell which longs to be told but unfortunately more often than not it lands on deaf ears. People want someone to understand them, someone to listen and say nothing, someone to believe in them, someone to be by their side, someone to laugh with and someone to cry with, everyONE needs someONE.
Sixty days may not seem like heaps but there are plenty of lessons to learn in the midst.
It's a new day. It's a new month. It's a new season. Don't despise the opportunity.
ps bazz
It's a new day. It's a new month. It's a new season.
When you look back on the last sixty days of your life, what do you see?
How does it make you feel?
What thoughts, images, emotions come to mind?
For me the last sixty days of my life have been amazing. Three of my friends have either proposed or been proposed to, my first dog passed away, I began a new career, I have gained new mentors, I have celebrated four parties, I have attended my friends fathers funeral, I have been single for valentines day, I became a part of a youth committee, I made brand new friends, I joined twitter and I started a blog.
Although it may seem like a small number of days, each of them for me have been significant, especially the last 21. It had been almost eight months since i had really spoken or even hung out with one of my closest friends (so close that i call him my brother). You might find it strange that if his one of my closest friends why would it be eight months since we last met; I find it strange too.
However, from day 1 to day 21 i have seen this young man's life totally changed and transformed. We began with an individual who literally believed they were nothing but ended with an individual that discovered purpose. We began with an individual who was discouraged, unhappy, discontent and unsatisfied but ended with an individual who was encouraged, happy, content and satisfied.
When we give someone time, it means so much to them.
When we give someone words, it means so much to them.
When we give someone love, it means so much to them.
Let's never discredit or discount what ONE day can do for someone. Everyone has a story to tell which longs to be told but unfortunately more often than not it lands on deaf ears. People want someone to understand them, someone to listen and say nothing, someone to believe in them, someone to be by their side, someone to laugh with and someone to cry with, everyONE needs someONE.
Sixty days may not seem like heaps but there are plenty of lessons to learn in the midst.
It's a new day. It's a new month. It's a new season. Don't despise the opportunity.
ps bazz
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