The recent events of the downing
of the Malaysian airliner in Ukraine and the Israeli conflict with Hamas have
certainly added to life’s tensions for many concerned peoples around the world.
Clearly, there were already ample things on the world stage and here at home in
the U.S. to be plenty concerned about.
When it comes to worry and stress,
people tend to lose touch with what it is in life that they have the ability to
control and those things over which then have no control what so ever. The
reality is that the virtual majority of what you have stress about will never
come to pass in the first place. Moreover, you wouldn’t have any control of the
circumstances even if they did some how come to pass.
There are times when the world
around you is full of uncertainty and life’s future prospects look gloomy. When
this occurs, you need to find a way of putting life back into perspective.
A few months back when I was at
the neighborhood branch of my bank, I observed something on my bank officer’s
desk that really caught my attention. It was a simple list of perspectives
about life that I found very reassuring. I’m sure that Miss Judy would approve
of me sharing them with you:
The
Greatest Joy ………………………………………….. Giving
The
Greatest Loss ……………………...…Loss of Self-Respect
The
Most Satisfying Work …………...................Helping Others
The
Ugliest Personality Trait …………………….…..Selfishness
The
Most Endangered Species ………...…..Dedicated Leaders
Our
Greatest Natural Resource ………………...…….Our Youth
The
Greatest “Shot In The Arm” …………….…Encouragement
The
Greatest Problem to Overcome ……………...……..….Fear
The
Most Effective Sleep Remedy …………...….Peace of Mind
The
Most Crippling Failure Disease ……………….……Excuses
The
Most Powerful Force In Life …………………….... ……Love
The
Most Dangerous Pariah ………………………….A Gossiper
The
World’s Most Powerful Computer …………...……The Brain
The
Worst Thing To Be Without ………………………….…Hope
The
Deadliest Weapon …………………………...….The Tongue
The
Two Most Power-Filled Words ……………………….”I Can”
The
Greatest Asset …………………………………………...Faith
The
Most Worthless Emotion …………………………... Self-Pity
The
Most Beautiful Attire ……………………………..…. A Smile
The
Greatest Gift …………………………………...…...Kindness
The
Most Prized Possession ………………………….…Integrity
The
Most Powerful Form of Communication ……….……Prayer
The
Most Contagious Spirit ………………………….Enthusiasm
The
Most Important Thing In Life ………………………...….God
When I consider this amazing list,
I am reminded that while life is hard enough, you need not add to it by being hard
on yourself. Life is short… best that you not hasten the process by worrying
yourself to death. Scripture reminds us that there will be trials and
tribulations, war and rumors of war. What you are experiencing today is nothing
new in the grand scheme of life on planet earth.
There is a lifetime of abundant
living in the list above, if you would simply employ these perspectives. Choose
to take charge of those aspects of life over which you can exert some degree of
control. Beyond that, take time to smell the roses, spend time with friends and
family. View more sunrises at the beach, more sunsets from the mountain top and
take more barefoot walks in the park.
Most of all, learn to enjoy the
process and live life to the fullest… for time is fleeting.
Lastly, one final thought from an
author unknown… “The mark of a successful
man is one that has spent an entire day on the bank of a river without feeling
guilty about it.”
The Leadership Academy… Changing the way organizations and people
work, perform and live.
Copyright © 2014 Developing Forward | Thomas H. Swank, CBC | All Rights Reserved.
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