Month: May 2022 (Page 2 of 4)

Being generous is contagious. I’ve seen it. I’ve felt it. The shrapnel of kindness has penetrated my being more than once after being in close range during an unselfish explosion and I love it!

But, it can also work the other way as well. We can become closed off and a bit stingy if that’s our environment and those kinds of people are part of our scene.

This is why I’m so particular about who I spend my time with. Being with people who are generous is one of my requirements for sure.

Giving to others kindly and with love can be so energizing to me and invigorates my soul to only want to give more. It can be easy for me to forget and this is why it’s important to be reminded by others.

Every time I choose to engage in an act of generosity it softens me. It warms my heart and puts things into perspective again; it’s not all about me.

I love that feeling every single time.

I know when I’m resisting moving forward with a particular task or activity, it means I should probably keep moving in that direction. For me, most of the time what is best for me is what I’m most afraid to tackle.

There was an episode on the long running show “Seinfeld” where George couldn’t get a break. It seemed to him that every choice he made was sending him in the opposite direction of where he wanted to go. One day Jerry suggested that if all of his choices had been wrong in the past that he just needed to do the opposite of what his instincts told him. George thought it was brilliant advice and changed his ways. Of course we all know how the show went: it worked for George for a while and he felt on top of the world until he didn’t and then the wheels fell off sending him back to his usual place in line.

I realize it’s not as simple as that, but there is merit for me to square up to the things that bring me hesitation and even procrastination because of resistence. I’ve learned my lesson so many times – I’m always a better person after taking on challenges that test and stretch me. Always.

So, maybe the next time I say “no” to something, I know what it really means: Say “Yes” and then do it.

Right now I’m going through a leadership program online for the entire year. We’re closing in on the halfway point and it can be difficult for me to stay on task on a weekly basis. Luckily, I have a group of people who are doing it as well that get together via zoom to monitor our progress, discuss ideas and themes and share our experience.

Having others to keep me accountable for my commitment is such a perk, even though I was quite reluctant from the beginning. I had no idea who these other people were, but over time, and after sharing some of our personal life experiences, we began to forge a bond which began to snowball. Knowing in the back of my mind there are others who are relying on my feedback and input keeps my head in the game.

This has got me thinking about utilizing accountability groups for other endeavors down the line in which I know would be difficult to venture out on my own. Daily and/or weekly reporting makes me feel like I’m not alone and gives me a way to connect with others while attaining a common goal. As corny as it may sound, I enjoy the comradery I feel when giving others encouragement to push on as they do the same for me.

I’ve heard it said that if you’re bored with life then most likely life is bored with you. I don’t want to focus on the negative, however, that does resonate with me. I’ve also had it described to me as, we are beings who have been given wings to fly, but in order to get off the ground, we must put in the effort to flap them ourselves. Then and only then, can we have lift and fly.

It’s the potential vision with focused effort. It’s planning, arriving and executing. I can easily get stuck in the “big idea” phase and struggle to move into the action steps needed to begin the build. Or get discouraged because I haven’t seen the fruits of my efforts.

What we all have to remember is that the initial and repeated “showing up” is one of the most difficult aspects of the process. But, we begin to gain momentum as we consistently arrive to face our fears and over time – the longer we remain steadfast – the effects are compounded. Eventually, there’s a tipping point. If we continue, our idea begins to take shape and order begins to descend on what we thought was chaos. We see the fruits of our labor. We take flight.

Now we’re creating. There’s nothing boring about that.

It’s been my experience, I can be an “all or nothing” kind of person. I’ll start a well-intended project with high expectations and get to a point where there’s a bump in the road. At that point things can get a bit sideways and then I get frustrated to the point to where I drop it all together and walk away.

The practical me knows that’s not the best way to handle the situation, but nevertheless I tend to react that way.

Maybe the more beneficial way for me to respond is to view my progress as enough. If I was able to move forward in any capacity today that was enough. If I made really good progress, that’s enough. If I showed up and gave an honest effort, that’s enough.

Maybe sometimes, enough is enough. Especially when viewing this journey called life as a marathon and not a sprint. I need to find as much encouragement as I can to keep myself energized and excited to meet each new day.

Maybe giving enough is enough.