Tag Archives: love

Ready for Greatness

Sadly, what I see when I look at the political world lately is smallness. Where is the greatness, the integrity, the true service to others (the people)? We keep waiting and hoping. Perhaps it is too much to expect in a hierarchical system, a model that historically attracts the power hungry and easily corruptible to the top.

What then, is the remedy? Do we need a completely new model of governance, one that has previously never been explored? One that is not based on hierarchy? The prototypes humanity has tried thus far here on Earth do not seem to serve the people well.

Inspirational Leadership Quotes:

“Our chief want is someone who will inspire us to be what we know we could be.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Success is not how high you have climbed, but how you make a positive difference to the world.” ~ Roy T. Bennett

“Great leaders create more leaders, not followers.” ~ Roy T. Bennett

“Good people see the good and bring out the best in other people.” ~ Roy T. Bennett

“I have three precious things which I hold fast and prize. The first is gentleness; the second is frugality; the third is humility, which keeps me from putting myself before others. Be gentle and you can be bold; be frugal and you can be liberal; avoid putting yourself before others and you can become a leader among men.” ~ Lao Tzu

“A leader… is like a shepherd. He stays behind the flock, letting the most nimble go out ahead, whereupon the others follow, not realizing that all along they are being directed from behind.” ~ Nelson Mandela

Photo courtesy Matthew Thomas, Pixabay

Smile Medicine

A smile is one of those powerful tools in our life toolbox, but sometimes we forget to use it. Distracted with our own thoughts, we easily disconnect into our own headspace. But a smile is a gift, a little piece of light and hope we can send out to others, and it does not cost us anything but a little conscious thought and effort. And before we know it, it becomes an easy habit.

Even if you don’t feel like it, send a smile to at least one stranger on your path today. Each smile is full of possibility, the potential to create something good. There is a reason smiles are curved. Yours and the ones you receive back make a circle, a never-ending ripple effect of infinite joy.

Smile, and spread some joy today.

Aside from giving happiness to others, this is an excellent article on why you should smile more often for your own health and well-being: Top 10 Reasons You Should Smile Every Day

Inspirational Smile Quotes:

“I hope that whoever you are, wherever you are, and no matter how you are feeling, you will always have something to smile about.” ~ Sanober Khan

“Peace begins with a smile.” ~ Mother Teresa

“Wrinkles should merely indicate where the smiles have been.” ~ Mark Twain

“Be the reason someone smiles. Be the reason someone feels loved and believes in the goodness in people.” ~ Roy T. Bennett

“A smile is a curve that sets everything straight.” ~ Phyllis Diller

“Life is a mirror: if you frown at it, it frowns back; if you smile, it returns the greeting.” ~ William Makepeace Thackeray

Photo courtesy Rafael Barros, Pexels

State of Grace

3 Replies

There are several definitions of grace, an obvious one being elegance or refinement in the physical state, particularly in movement. The woman in the picture (for me) personifies a certain physical grace. Her eyes are closed, seemingly in meditation, and I can easily imagine she might also fit another definition of grace. That is, “courteous goodwill.”

Courteous goodwill. This state of grace seems to be sadly falling by the wayside, as various factions in society bicker, squabble, and attack each other. It’s fine to have another point of view, but sometimes the behavior reminds me of children when they don’t get their way. There is also quite a lot of outright bullying going on, shaming and coercing others psychologically. Where is the grace in that?

Those who bully others to get their way are not service to others, even though they may use narrative to paint themselves as such. They are service to self. They simply want the world to be “their way”, because they believe they have all the answers. Well, in a world of 8 billion people, how can that be true? There are many viewpoints on this planet.

A state of grace comes from a place of allowance, that others might have another way of being. It also is rooted in a true caring about other people. As Martin Luther King Jr. said, grace flows from love. Achieving a state of grace in one’s self moves us to a real place of service to others.

Everybody can be great, because everybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.
~ Martin Luther King Jr.

A Free Mind

We owe it to ourselves to expose our minds to many points of view. Reading widely and diversely is a good starting point. In a time where everything is increasingly politicized, mass media narrative can easily become a form of advertising for political agenda.

A free mind yearns to see beyond the consensual narrative and reality.

The public narrative, and particularly on social media, is becoming deeply divided. So many people seem to be locked into their chosen echo chamber, parroting what they hear from their particular group of friends and political party. Where is the independent thinking? Where is the open-mindedness, where people can at least consider a differing point of view, instead of viciously attacking the “opposition”, trying to make them conform?

Observing the meltdown in society right now, it seems that the answers will not be found in the same old paradigm, the normal duality of “it’s either A or B” choices. We need to find a meeting ground, a creative way of melding diverse ideas into a new model for humanity and society.

True to Yourself

Are you being true to yourself? This year 2020 has magnified everything – people who are critical and judgmental if we don’t adhere to their opinions (or worse, they are outright aggressive), events in our society that do not feel right, they do not ring true, but we stuff it down inside and quietly acquiesce.

These little betrayals of ourselves, our gut feelings and own wisdom, eventually add up and take their toll. It is called selling our souls, piece by piece. We can ignore the discomfort in ourselves about it for awhile, but eventually it’s time to pay the piper. At a certain point, we just do not feel good about how we are treating ourselves.

Be true to yourself. No one is going to hear you or respect you if you don’t do that for yourself, first and foremost.

Re-examine all you have been told. Dismiss what insults your soul.
~ Walt Whitman