Fix the Man...
Have you ever complained about something? You in the back, not raising your hand... I bet you don't breathe air either! Let's face it, we all have at some point or another. Have you considered that the only reason you're complaining about whatever it is your complaining about is because you know there is something better out there? As Jack Canfield shared in his book The Success Principles: How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be, "In order to complain about something or someone, you have to believe that something better exists."
Uh oh... now he's gone and done it! That means you, yes YOU, have to take responsibility for YOU. And dang it, me too! Geez oh pete... I didn't want to know that! But seriously, do you realize that we only complain about things we can actually do something about? Have you ever complained about the sky being blue? Of course not! It is what it is. But you'll hear people complain about their spouse, their house, their income etc. and usually to the wrong people! They never take the chance, the risk, of confronting the situation head-on thereby creating a better world for themselves and those around them. They do not start with themselves and think, "What can I do to change? What steps can I take to make the situation better?" Just remember, fix the man, and you fix the world.
You've probably heard the story... a father comes home from a long, tiring day at work and he sits down in his favorite chair and starts reading a magazine. His little daughter comes running up to him full force, "Daddy, Daddy! Can we play?!" And he sighs, and smiles, and says, "Honey, give Daddy some time and then we can play." She waits about thirty seconds, and again pleads, "Daddy, Daddy! Can we play?!" He thinks for a moment, tears a page from his magazine--a picture of the world--and rips it into several pieces. He sits her on the floor and says, "Honey, when you finish putting this picture together then we can play." He figures he's got her! I mean, she's just a small child and her geography isn't that good... but less than five minutes later she's back and he's amazed! "Honey," he says, "how were you able to put that together so fast?" And she says, "Well, there was a picture of a man on the other side; when I fixed the man, I fixed the world."
So why don't we fix ourselves? Why don't we take responsibility for our lives? Because it's hard, because people might judge us, because people might disapprove. But have you ever heard it said that what other people think of you is none of your business? Per Canfield, "The circumstances you complain about are, by their very nature, situations you can change--but you have chosen not to." It doesn't matter what those around you are doing or saying, the choice rests with you. It always has... and it always will. That should empower you... and excite you! It motivates me. I know that there is a better world out there and it is mine for the taking. All we have to do, all you have to do, is take Henry David Thoreau's advice and "Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined." It is POSSIBLE.
Uh oh... now he's gone and done it! That means you, yes YOU, have to take responsibility for YOU. And dang it, me too! Geez oh pete... I didn't want to know that! But seriously, do you realize that we only complain about things we can actually do something about? Have you ever complained about the sky being blue? Of course not! It is what it is. But you'll hear people complain about their spouse, their house, their income etc. and usually to the wrong people! They never take the chance, the risk, of confronting the situation head-on thereby creating a better world for themselves and those around them. They do not start with themselves and think, "What can I do to change? What steps can I take to make the situation better?" Just remember, fix the man, and you fix the world.
You've probably heard the story... a father comes home from a long, tiring day at work and he sits down in his favorite chair and starts reading a magazine. His little daughter comes running up to him full force, "Daddy, Daddy! Can we play?!" And he sighs, and smiles, and says, "Honey, give Daddy some time and then we can play." She waits about thirty seconds, and again pleads, "Daddy, Daddy! Can we play?!" He thinks for a moment, tears a page from his magazine--a picture of the world--and rips it into several pieces. He sits her on the floor and says, "Honey, when you finish putting this picture together then we can play." He figures he's got her! I mean, she's just a small child and her geography isn't that good... but less than five minutes later she's back and he's amazed! "Honey," he says, "how were you able to put that together so fast?" And she says, "Well, there was a picture of a man on the other side; when I fixed the man, I fixed the world."
So why don't we fix ourselves? Why don't we take responsibility for our lives? Because it's hard, because people might judge us, because people might disapprove. But have you ever heard it said that what other people think of you is none of your business? Per Canfield, "The circumstances you complain about are, by their very nature, situations you can change--but you have chosen not to." It doesn't matter what those around you are doing or saying, the choice rests with you. It always has... and it always will. That should empower you... and excite you! It motivates me. I know that there is a better world out there and it is mine for the taking. All we have to do, all you have to do, is take Henry David Thoreau's advice and "Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined." It is POSSIBLE.
Comments
Post a Comment