If confession is good for the soul, here goes: I love taking and studying personality inventories. Okay, I admit, I’m a patsy for self-discovery and personal awareness. Currently, Renee and I are taking a class in the Enneagram. So last night I learned my personality contains really strong perfectionistic tendencies. Really? Tell me something new! To work on that tendency, evidently I need to practice being a little kinder, gentler to myself. Okay, I’m game! My sense is that many of us perhaps need to become a little more kind to ourselves. More than 20 years ago someone gave me the following “rules” for being human. I have no idea who authored this little gem, but I’ve carried it with me through the years and it has served as a helpful reminder to me. Hopefully, you will appreciate and enjoy these rules for being human as much as I have.
YOU WILL RECEIVE A BODY. You may like it or hate it, but it will be yours for as long as you live. How you take care of it or fail to take care of it can make an enormous difference in the quality of your life.
YOU WILL LEARN LESSONS. You are enrolled in a full-time informal school called Life. Each day, you will be presented with opportunities to learn what you need to know. The lessons presented are often completely different from those you think you need.
THERE ARE NO MISTAKES, ONLY LESSONS. Growth is a process of trial, error and experimentation. You can learn as much from failure as you can from success. Maybe more.
A LESSON IS REPEATED UNTIL IT IS LEARNED. A lesson will be presented to you in various forms until you have learned it. When you have learned it (as evidenced by a change in your attitude and ultimately you behavior), then you can go on to the next lesson.
LEARNING LESSONS DOES NOT END. There is no stage of life that does not contain some lessons. As long as you live there will be something more to learn.
“THERE” IS NO BETTER THAN “HERE.” When you are “there” has become a “here,” you will simply discover another “there” that will again look better than your “here.” Don’t be fooled by believing that the unattainable is better than what you have.
OTHERS ARE MERELY MIRRORS OF YOU. You cannot love or hate something about another person unless it reflects something you love or hate about yourself. When tempted to criticize others, ask yourself why you feel so strongly.
WHAT YOU MAKE OF YOUR LIFE IS UP TO YOU. You have all the tools and resources you need. What you create with those tools is up to you. Remember that through desire, goal-setting, and unflagging effort you can have anything you want. Persistence is the key to success.
THE ANSWERS LIE INSIDE YOU. The solutions to all of life’s problems lie within your grasp. All you need to do is ask, look, listen and trust.
YOU WILL FORGET ALL THIS. Unless you consistently stay focused on the goals you have set for yourself, everything you’ve just read won’t mean a thing.
To this fine list of “rules to be human,” I would add at least one addition:
MAINTAIN RELATIONSHIPS, STAYING ESPECIALLY CONNECTED TO SIGNIFICANT OTHERS. Watch, listen, laugh, be vulnerable and stay curious! So what additional “rules” would you add? So very glad to be your (transitional) minister, First Christian Church. Pastor Don
YOU WILL RECEIVE A BODY. You may like it or hate it, but it will be yours for as long as you live. How you take care of it or fail to take care of it can make an enormous difference in the quality of your life.
YOU WILL LEARN LESSONS. You are enrolled in a full-time informal school called Life. Each day, you will be presented with opportunities to learn what you need to know. The lessons presented are often completely different from those you think you need.
THERE ARE NO MISTAKES, ONLY LESSONS. Growth is a process of trial, error and experimentation. You can learn as much from failure as you can from success. Maybe more.
A LESSON IS REPEATED UNTIL IT IS LEARNED. A lesson will be presented to you in various forms until you have learned it. When you have learned it (as evidenced by a change in your attitude and ultimately you behavior), then you can go on to the next lesson.
LEARNING LESSONS DOES NOT END. There is no stage of life that does not contain some lessons. As long as you live there will be something more to learn.
“THERE” IS NO BETTER THAN “HERE.” When you are “there” has become a “here,” you will simply discover another “there” that will again look better than your “here.” Don’t be fooled by believing that the unattainable is better than what you have.
OTHERS ARE MERELY MIRRORS OF YOU. You cannot love or hate something about another person unless it reflects something you love or hate about yourself. When tempted to criticize others, ask yourself why you feel so strongly.
WHAT YOU MAKE OF YOUR LIFE IS UP TO YOU. You have all the tools and resources you need. What you create with those tools is up to you. Remember that through desire, goal-setting, and unflagging effort you can have anything you want. Persistence is the key to success.
THE ANSWERS LIE INSIDE YOU. The solutions to all of life’s problems lie within your grasp. All you need to do is ask, look, listen and trust.
YOU WILL FORGET ALL THIS. Unless you consistently stay focused on the goals you have set for yourself, everything you’ve just read won’t mean a thing.
To this fine list of “rules to be human,” I would add at least one addition:
MAINTAIN RELATIONSHIPS, STAYING ESPECIALLY CONNECTED TO SIGNIFICANT OTHERS. Watch, listen, laugh, be vulnerable and stay curious! So what additional “rules” would you add? So very glad to be your (transitional) minister, First Christian Church. Pastor Don
RSS Feed
