“Don’t tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass.” ― Anton Chekhov
“Actions seems to follow feeling, but really actions and feeling go together; and by regulating the action, which is under the more direct control of the will, we can indirectly regulate the feeling, which is not. Thus the sovereign voluntary path to cheerfulness, if our cheerfulness be lost, is to sit up cheerfully and to act and speak as if cheerfulness were already there.” ― William James
Ever come across people who say one thing but then do another? I have, lots of times. I’ve met so many I’ve learned to watch what they do, how they treat people, and what they’re willing to work for before I’ll decide if I want to get closer. Lots of church going people, for example, can quote their holy books, but watch out when they pull out of the parking lot. You get the idea. A good rule of thumb to follow, see if what a person says matches what he/she does before you get too close.
Today’s Thinking Out Loud reflection is on Aesop’s Fable, The Boasting Traveler. Aesop’s Fables is available for free download here.
The Fable
“A Man once went abroad on his travels, and when he came home he
had wonderful tales to tell of the things he had done in foreign
countries. Among other things, he said he had taken part in a
jumping-match at Rhodes, and had done a wonderful jump which no one
could beat. “Just go to Rhodes and ask them,” he said; “every one
will tell you it’s true.” But one of those who were listening said,
“If you can jump as well as all that, we needn’t go to Rhodes to
prove it. Let’s just imagine this is Rhodes for a minute: and
now—jump!”
Note: Actions count. Words not so much. I tire quickly when I am in the company of someone who tells how great he/she is or how I should act. They will brag of their successes and share their contempt for anyone who stood in their way. They will encourage me to be more like them and less like me. I quit listening ten seconds into their sermon and contemplate how to exit the situation. When we are sure of who we are, there is no need to boast. We let our actions do all the talking that needs to be done.
Today’s Thinking Out Loud reflection is on Aesop’s Fable, The Mistress and Her Servants. Aesop’s Fables is available for free download here.
The Fable
“A Widow, thrifty and industrious, had two servants, whom she
kept pretty hard at work. They were not allowed to lie long abed in
the mornings, but the old lady had them up and doing as soon as the
cock crew. They disliked intensely having to get up at such an
hour, especially in winter-time: and they thought that if it were
not for the cock waking up their Mistress so horribly early, they
could sleep longer. So they caught it and wrung its neck. But they
weren’t prepared for the consequences. For what happened was that
their Mistress, not hearing the cock crow as usual, waked them up
earlier than ever, and set them to work in the middle of the
night.
”
Note: I live near a large park with wilderness trails, warnings of rattlesnakes, coyotes, mountain lions, javelinas and more. I do not stray off the created trails. I witnessed a hawk diving toward an open space and snagging a squirrel. Good for the hawk, tough for the squirrel. There are consequences in nature. There are also consequences in our lives. Although we cannot foresee what will happen, we can predict outcomes with a high degree of accuracy. For example, if I continually show up late for work, I’ll be fired. Conversely, if I apply myself and work hard, I’ll succeed. Consequences can be good or bad. We have a choice.
James Allen in his book, “A particular train of thought persisted in, be it good or bad, cannot fail to produce its results on the character and circumstances. A man cannot directly choose his circumstances, but he can choose his thoughts, and so indirectly, yet surely, shape his circumstances.” P. 28
As a Man Thinketh is available online at gutenberg.org under the Harvard Classics.
NOTE: Today, carry a notebook with you and once every hour write down the dominant thought that you were thinking about over the past hour. At the end of the day take a tally and see what thoughts dominated your day. Did your dominant thoughts direct your conversations? Did your dominant thoughts direct your actions? If your conversations and your actions are not what you wanted or not bringing you the results you want, both personally and professionally, we have a great lesson here, we can choose to think about something else. We can choose to think about things that are uplifting, inspiring, and elevate us and others.
“Let life happen to you. Believe me: life is in the right, always.” ~ Rainer Maria Rilke
Life is going to happen to us, there’s not much we can do about it. The wise ones tells us it’s the attitude we take toward what happens to us that makes all the difference. The attitude and actions we take toward events in our life leaves an indelible mark on our character. We have the freedom to choose our attitude and actions. Choose those attitudes and actions that inspire you and those who observe you.
It’s easy to rail against injustice and unfairness. It’s more difficult to take a stand and work to do something about it. When we take a stand and commit ourselves to making a difference, we’re known by our actions more than our words. When our actions focus on improving the condition are words criticize we walk with integrity.
