lessons

Thinking Out Loud ~ There are Multiple Perspectives

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Today’s Thinking Out Loud reflection is on Aesop’s Fable, The Man and the Lion. Aesop’s Fables is available for free download here.

The Fable

“A Man and a Lion were companions on a journey, and in the course

of conversation they began to boast about their prowess, and each

claimed to be superior to the other in strength and courage. They

were still arguing with some heat when they came to a cross-road

where there was a statue of a Man strangling a Lion. “There!” said

the Man triumphantly, “look at that! Doesn’t that prove to you that

we are stronger than you?” “Not so fast, my friend,” said the Lion:

“that is only your view of the case. If we Lions could make

statues, you may be sure that in most of them you would see the Man

underneath.”

Note: My life would be much easier if everyone saw things the way I see them. It would also be boring if that were the case. In most cases there is my way, your way, and if we want to grow, a better way. Discovering the better way requires large doses of courage and humility mixed in equal proportions. Discovering a better way requires hard work and patience. A better way doesn’t appear by magic. It takes honest conversation and an openness to the insights that emerge from honest conversations. The man and the lion each saw the world from their perspective. They didn’t see the whole world, only the slice they wanted to see.

Thinking Out Loud ~ Thinking About Consequences ~ A Lesson from Aesop’s Fables

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Today’s Thinking Out Loud reflection is on Aesop’s Fable, The Boys and the Frog. Aesop’s Fables is available for free download here.

The Fable

“Some mischievous Boys were playing on the edge of a pond, and,

catching sight of some Frogs swimming about in the shallow water,

they began to amuse themselves by pelting them with stones, and

they killed several of them. At last one of the Frogs put his head

out of the water and said, “Oh, stop! stop! I beg of you: what is

sport to you is death to us.”

 

Note: When I read this fable I thought about how I could apply it to contemporary society. The thoughts streamed through my mind. I thought about people racing down the road where the speed limit is 40 miles an hour. They’re traveling at 70  miles per hour. There are consequences to everything we do. What’s a game to them but it could be a death trap for people trying to obey the law. What about people who use social media to bully others, make fun of others, and disrespect others? What’s fun to them really hurts other people. It’s good to look at what we do and reflect on it. When we do something that hurts others it’s also hurting us as well; we may not realize it but it does. I like the saying treat other people as you would like to be treated.

Inspiring Quote for Today ~ Learn Nature’s Lessons

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“Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature. It will never fail you.”

Frank Lloyd Wright

Thinking Out Loud ~ You Are Tougher than the Challenge

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Joseph Campbell says in Reflections on the Art of Living, “Opportunities to find deeper powers within ourselves, when life seems most challenging.  . . . Negativism to the pain and ferocity of life is negativism to life.  . . . We are not there until we can say yes to it all. P. 20

Note: The saying, used by many who exercise, “no pain no gain” is also true in other aspects of life. Our greatest life lessons come from the moments of great challenges. We will be challenged. Challenges are unavoidable. The best way to deal with challenges is to go through them.  When we face our challenges head on, we come out, stronger, more resilient, and wiser.

Feel Good Tip for Today ~ A Fig Tree’s Lesson

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Four years ago I planted a fig tree. My fig tree withstood the brutal freeze that hit south Texas two years ago. It withstood an ice storm this year. It lost some branches in the process, but it bounced back. Right now it is loaded with an abundant crop of figs. I picked my first figs yesterday and savored every bite. My fig tree is a good example for us. It handles the tough times, it bounces back, and it continues to produce abundant fruit. Never quit. Never give up.

Positive Thought for Today ~ It’s What You Do With Your Experience That Matters

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“What you have experienced, no power on earth can take from you.”

Viktor E. Frankl

 

NOTE: What we do with what we’ve experienced makes all the difference in our lives. We can allow negative experiences to fill us with bitterness and anger. We can also allow negative experiences to teach us lessons we would not have otherwise learned. We can transform our negative experiences into something that creates good. Our positive experiences are the foundation blocks of our confidence. Recall these positive moments and build on them.

Think About It ~ Learning the Lessons

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Think about the toughest time you’ve experienced then ask yourself, ‘What can I learn from this experience?’ There are profound lessons to discover in each of our tough experiences. We learn these lessons because we survived the tough experience. We may have been wounded. We may always carry the scars from the experience. The scars remind us of our strength and resilience. The scars remind us of what we’ve learned. The scars remind us how we were able to transform something negative and painful into something positive and beneficial. 

Today’s Inspiration ~ Lessons are Waiting for Us

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“All you have to do is to pay attention; lessons always arrive when you are ready, and if you can read the signs, you will learn everything you need to know in order to take the next step.”

~ Paulo Coelho

Something to Think About

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When we go to school we have a prescribed set of knowledge to learn. We’re tested on the knowledge and given a grade. In many ways we really never stop going to school. Each day of life we are given lessons to learn. Sometimes the lessons are hard and we suffer in learning them. Other times, the lessons are easy if we’re willing to listen. The more willing we are to learn life’s lessons when life teaches them to us, the more easily we’re able to navigate our way through life. It takes a willingness to learn and an open mind to see and learn life’s lessons.

A Better Life ~ Is It Time to Heal?

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We’ve all been wounded. For some, the wounds are open and bleeding. For others, the wounds are hidden, but they are there. Is it time to look compassionately at our wounds and cease blaming ourselves? Is it time to love the wounds into healing? Is it time to transform the wounds into lessons to nurture one’s growth?

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