Reflections
Legacy is the wake you leave
by sailing your course.
Day by day,
you may not feel progress is being made.
You will encounter storms.
You will have the desire to stop at port
and never leave where it is safe and warm.
But when you commit yourself
to your ultimate destination,
the day to day
turns into just another chance for adaptation,
and setting the sails is
a cause for jubilation.
So chart your course,
and take the wheel.
Creating your destiny is about doing the work,
not how you feel.
There will be days
of unimaginable beauty and wonder.
There will be days
of overwhelming boredom and monotony.
Which one of these today will be
is up to you.
So many people,
at home,
at work,
at play,
just want to be noticed.
They want simple acknowledgment for
their contribution,
their commitment,
their common humanity.
When we step out of ourselves,
our agenda,
our worry,
our problems,
to let someone know
we see them,
we value them,
we care;
we are doing
some of the most important work
we will ever do.
Courage grows on trees
of vulnerability
nourished by
the ground
of trust.
When someone is appropriately vulnerable,
we all get a little more courageous.
Of course, there is inappropriate vulnerability.
Too much sharing,
too soon,
in the wrong setting,
which makes everyone want to
run and hide.
But, when our
leaders,
managers,
co-workers
reveal
their humanness,
their mistakes,
their embarrassments,
we are freed to
risk,
venture out,
and ask for help.
When we are vulnerable,
others receive permission
to trust us,
to trust themselves,
to do their best work.
And courage grows.
It’s not self-centeredness
when the center you serve
is seeking to shower others
with
gratitude,
generosity,
and graciousness.
You’ve been told to keep your promises.
I say, “Keep the promises you make to yourself first.”
The day the promises
you make to yourself
become more important
than
the promises
you make to others
is the day you begin
to become whole.
Which promise will you keep today?
We are encouraged
to push our limits,
to never quit,
to hustle,
hustle,
hustle.
And it is true --
we are often capable of
more
than we imagined possible.
But,
when your
body,
mind,
or
spirit
tells you to
slow down,
take a break,
or
be still,
it’s time for a
change of plans.
The greatest breakthroughs
come not as a result of our
frenzied focus,
but when we allow them space
to creep in.
Everyone needs a
mommy sometimes,
but no one wants to be
mothered.
(To all the moms
who worry and fret,
who nurture and protect.
Happy Mother’s Day.)
We live in a customized society.
“Have it your way.”
We can have
food,
clothes,
cars,
tailored to our liking.
Yet many of us live
according to some other person’s design.
We’re trying to fit into
the blueprints of
parents,
friends,
co-workers,
the girl from 6th grade.
We let
celebrities,
moguls,
the internet famous
draw up
what we try to
live up
to.
No wonder so many
are so unhappy.
Today, imagine
your life
if you lived it
YOUR way.
Then begin building your life
with those blueprints.
