self-improvement
“Never forget that the universe is a single living organism possessed of one substance and one soul, holding all things suspended in a single consciousness and creating all things with a single purpose that they might work together spinning and weaving and knotting whatever comes to pass.” ~ Marcus Aurelius
Grasping the duality of being one unfathomable living thing–the Universe–and also an entirely separate individual within this Universe, is what is missing from the world today.
Think of yourself as one cell in a vast organism. It’s your sole job to keep your cell healthy so that the whole can be healthy as well.
When you change your intentions from trying to fix the whole organism by hubristically trying to “fix the World,” and instead focus your intentions simply on “fixing” or enhancing YOURSELF, we all together, “cell” by “cell,” individual by individual, create a better Universe.
Your one job is to do YOUR best. The rest will follow.
Last night, I was honored to attend a graduation ceremony at West Side High for students receiving their High School Equivalency certificates.
These students ranged in ages from young to not-so young, but what they all had in common was a dedication and desire to better themselves. They worked hard, and you could tell they were proud of what they had accomplished.
The audience was encouraged to whoop and holler when "their" student received their certificate, and it brought tears to my eyes to hear dads proudly (and loudly) yelling: "That’s my son!"
Sitting next to me was a woman who warned me I might need ear plugs when her sister received her certificate. "Don’t worry, I’m loud too," I said, laughing. When her sister, in mid-life and dressed in a purple gown and cap stepped up to receive her certificate, the lady went wild. While it was moving to see her family and friends so supportive of her accomplishment, I did jokingly say, "Maybe I did need the ear plugs after all!"
Life is all about challenges. It is also about how YOU face and overcome those challenges. Every day, you have a choice about how you are going to live your life TODAY. It was rewarding to see all these people willing to put in the work and take the steps to improve their futures!
Thanks for having me. Kudos to all!