“Life happens at the level of action, not words.” Alfred Adler. I wonder if any politicians are familiar with this quote? Probably not. Ever made a promise or a commitment that you didn’t keep or honor? If you are not guilty I guess you are in the .000000000001% of perfect humans. Come on, we all make a promise we plan to keep but for whatever reasons things happen and get in the way. I remember many years ago asking my kids if they wanted to go camping one weekend. They all got excited and said yes but something came up and we had to cancel. So for the next three weeks I did the same thing and every week the response was the same – excitement but then something important came up and we canceled. Then in the fifth week, I asked them all again and my son didn’t get excited so I asked him why, He said, “Dad, I’ll get excited when we get there.” Boy was that a hard lesson and in only a few words. Yes, stuff comes up we can’t predict or know will or won’t happen, all we can do is be as honest, forthcoming, and yes humble as we can and admit we should not make promises but always include “I’ll do my best but you know folks stuff happens.” There is a difference between a broken promise and the process of continually breaking promises!
“This is life! It can harden and it can exalt.” Henry Ibsen. Ever met someone who just seemed to be angry with life, I mean everything? They never laugh, smile, or have fun. They just whine, complain, and see life’s negatives in everything. Then there is this person’s opposite, someone who sees joy even in the direst or discouraging circumstances. They just keep doing what they can to grow, learn, fix themselves – whatever – it’s just who they are. Yes, this group can have failures, trials, and negatives in life, but they choose to see the light at the end of the tunnel rather than just see the walls of the tunnel closing in on them. Which group do you think tends to live healthier, longer, and more content? Which group do you think tends to spend more time alone, afraid, and a victim? I have often wondered how did angry people get that way? Was it an event in time, a certain person or did it just evolve, and they just didn’t see it coming until one day they arrived at the ‘Angry Bird Mentality’?
What is your typical life reaction or response to life when it hands you a negative event,
person or circumstance __________________________________________________
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*This week’s book recommendation is – “The Greatest Miracle in the World”, Og Mandino
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