When They Leave Your Presence
“People may forget what you said, and people may forget what you did, but they will never forget how you made them feel.”
I often pray that people will leave my presence better (more joyful, more affirmed, more knowledgeable, more drawn to my spirituality) than when they entered it. Words and works are the tangible tools for the soft skill of making those we are with feel like a million bucks when they are with us.
Pilgrim or Homesteader?
“In troubled times, the number of people thrown into psychological turmoil and radical questioning increases.“ –Sam Keen
Since most of us (unless we’re wired that way) are not extraordinary in radically questioning the consensus reality: the way things (our ourselves) are, it often takes a bomb in our lives to rock us into this state. Since this happened recently to me, I was struck by the concepts of being more of a pilgrim with the rest of my life, than a homesteader:
Pilgrims: quest, question, are twice born, journey heroically, are vulnerable/strong
Homesteaders: are culture-bound, unconscious, weak, given to blind adherence/obedience, and are citizens
Which description fits you more right now, and are you comfortable with it?
Shaped or Shaping?
“In ordinary times, most men/women do not have radical questions about their identity. They have been imprinted, indoctrinated, and governed by stereotypes, role models, heroic images, and commonly accepted ideology….Most people remain relatively unconscious, unaware of the forces that shape their lives.” –Sam Keen
I would agree that I, too, was being carried by the wave of life, relatively unconscious and unaware of who I was becoming. This perspective is that of “Life just is….not to be questioned….Stay on the track you are on…. Think one way…. Be a robot….box-like…being shaped rather than being a shaper.” Determine the patterns that have shaped your life, accept them, decide whether to leave them behind or change them, and begin new life-shaping patterns that fit your core values today. Then you’ll leave a purposeful legacy.
Over the Bridge
“I praise the bridge that carried me over.” –George Colman
To get from one side of an experience to the other side, one needs a bridge–or else remains stuck, longing to get across, but seeing a way. When a special person, circumstance, tool, or God Himself shows us that, a little ways down the path, there is a bridge across the issue, we are filled with hope and eagerness (maybe some fear, too) to finally get across. While on the “bridge”, remember to show gratitude for the person or process that got you across to the other side.
When You Have Nothing to Pour Out to Students: A Teacher’s Inner Health
This seminar facilitates introspection in a leader’s life to probe why he/she is drained and practical steps to regaining life passion.
Love and Logic Principles for the Classroom
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This seminar for early childhood educators gives strategies that help improve discipline in the preschool classroom.