If you don’t know where you’re going, can you get there from here?
We can’t have full knowledge all at once. We must start by believing; then afterwards we may be led on to master the evidence for ourselves.
— Saint Thomas Aquinas
Recently I wrote about my frustration at not having a vision for going forward: And, as often happens, a teacher (several in fact) appeared… First I came upon a simple e-mail poem that struck a chord:
It is only a tiny rosebud, a flower of God’s design;
But I cannot unfold the petals with these clumsy hands of mine.
The secret of unfolding flowers is not known to such as I.
GOD opens this flower so easily, but in my hands they die.
If I cannot unfold a rosebud, this flower of God’s design,
Then how can I have the wisdom to unfold this life of mine?
So I’ll trust in God for leading each moment of my day.
I will look to God for guidance in each step of the way.
The path that lies before me, only my Lord knows.
I’ll trust God to unfold the moments, just as He unfolds the rose.
— Unknown
Interesting, simple analogies about roses and butterflies are teaching me that I don’t need to figure it all out right now, I can figure it out as it unfolds…
The Power of Intention
Continue reading » Start Somewhere
Sometimes it’s the smallest decision that can change your life forever.
— Keri Russell
This past weekend was the 75th anniversary of Alcoholics Anonymous, the group that helps others like themselves by “having one drunk talk to another” and by taking one day at a time. The secret to their success is that they know that little changes come from doing something that we didn’t used to do, every day. Over time the little changes become big changes and we’ve accomplished something that we never knew we could. In this week’s LA Times, a recovering alcoholic told his story.
In the article, Chas relates how he really, really didn’t want to go to his first AA meeting. He had seen AA help his father, his uncle, and his three brothers, but he had lots of reasons it wouldn’t work for him. A friend got him to go to a meeting anyway. He writes: Continue reading » Little Changes Into Big Ones
Have you ever been disappointed at not reaching your goal but somehow found that you were delighted with the outcome anyway?
Ah, but a man’s reach should exceed his grasp, Or what’s a heaven for?
— Robert Browning
We recently experienced an extraordinary week of rain here in sunny California. And when the weather forecasters declared an end to the onslaught, I decided to indulge in the luxury of taking my car to the carwash. I had an hour to wait so I went for a walk on the river trail. My goal: To the bridge and back.
Disappointment
I didn’t get as far as I expected. At the half hour mark, hoping to catch a glimpse of the bridge, I pushed on… and then on some more… but the bridge continued to hide “just around the bend.” With time ticking, I realized I wasn’t going to get to the bridge – and, disappointed that I’d missed my goal, I reluctantly turned and double-timed it back to the carwash where my clean car awaited me.
I guess it’s human nature to be disappointed when we don’t get as far as we expected. I remember when, back in my corporate days as a sales manager, one of my rookie sales people aimed to be “Top Sales Leader of the Year”. He really put his heart and soul into it. He came in second.
That’s when it pays to remember: Continue reading » Delight over a Missed Goal
It is not always what we know or analyzed before we make a decision that makes it a great decision. It is what we do after we make the decision to implement and execute it that makes it a good decision.
— William Pollard
Back when I was working in Corporate America managing the installation of large computer systems, it was very important that everything be done correctly. When a computer was ordered, it wasn’t delivered like today’s PCs are, it arrived in pieces and needed to be assembled. Elaborate plans needed to be made to assemble the equipment, install the operating system (think Windows) and migrate the data.
These machines were so physically large that it was sometimes necessary to plan a route from the delivery truck into the machine room. Because of the complexity of the process and the number of people from different organizations that needed to be involved, we had a process called “Systems Assurance.” There were two purposes to the Systems Assurance meeting; ensure that nothing Continue reading » Still on Target Using Creative Optimism
Life is a sum of all your choices.
— Albert Camus
Malibu (the kitten) has one major goal in life – to get onto my desk. Although he will give you the impression that he is interested in other things, in reality he is focused like a laser on my desk. I’m not sure what the attraction is, maybe it’s just that each time he gets there, someone removes him, but whatever it is, he is determined.
Because he is so determined, no matter what he is doing, IF I walk away from my desk for a moment and don’t move my chair away from the desk, he will leave whatever he is playing with and within seconds, he will Continue reading » Still Heading for the Target
|
|
|
Posts
Comments
Recent Comments