Sunday, February 1, 2004

LIFE'S LESSONS
Learning from circumstances

ON his first military campaign, George Washington made a terrible mistake. The American colonies had not yet rebelled — that was 20 years down the road. Washington was working for Britain, which was in a "cold war" with France. The two countries were tussling with each other for territory all over the world. One day Washington and his troops spotted a party of French camping in their territory, and attacked them, killing ten men and capturing the rest.

He shot first and asked questions later. He found out it was a diplomatic party, and one of the men he killed was an important French ambassador. Washington had made a big mistake. The two major military powers of that time ended their cold war and entered a hot war.

Imagine, for the moment, that you were Washington, and you made that mistake. What would you tell yourself about it? How would the mistake fit into the overall pattern of your life? In other words: What kind of story do you live in? Where do you think you come from and where do you think you're going?

You live by a story. Have you ever thought of it that way? Each of us has a story, and we are the main character in that story. If I interviewed you for a couple of weeks, I could probably piece together a coherent story that you live by even if you’ve never really thought about it yourself. It’s your life story and it is the meaning of your life.

For example, one story Washington could have told himself was: "I am destined for failure." His father died young, his mother was a nag. Compared to his contemporaries, he was poor. Killing the French ambassador could have been the final straw. He might have concluded that he wasn’t cut out for military work and given up, climbed inside a bottle and we might never have heard of him.

That’s one story. That’s one context within which he could have lived his life. And do you see that the story leads to certain feelings and certain actions consistent with the story?

Here’s another possibility: He could have thought he was destined to make his mark in the world, and that his mistake was the most important lesson he was ever to learn. "Divine Providence," he could have told himself, "is preparing me for a great task. I must learn all I can from this mistake for it may affect the future of the world."

Do you think he would feel differently about the circumstances of his life with this story? Of course he would. Same circumstances, different story. But the heroic story would make him learn important military lessons from his mistake and it would help him persist and endure hardships that would collapse a weaker person. The story would give him strength.

Judging by the letters he wrote home, the story he lived by was a lot more like this second one than the first one. And because he lived by that more inspiring story, he persisted and he learned and he did make a difference.

(Contributed by Adam Khan)

Begin again

One of the best things we can do in our lives is this:

Begin again.

Begin to see yourself as you were

When you were the happiest and strongest you’ve ever been.

Begin to remember what worked for you

(and what worked against you),

And try to capture the magic again.

Begin to remember how natural it was when you were a child —

To live a lifetime each day.

Begin to forget the baggage you have carried with you

For years:

The problems that don’t matter anymore,

The tears that cried themselves away,

And the worries that are going to wash away

On the shore of tomorrow’s new beginnings.

Tomorrow tells us it will be here every new day of our lives;

And if we will be wise,

We will turn away from the problems of the past

And give the future — and ourselves — a chance

To become the best of friends.

Sometimes all it takes is a wish in the heart to let yourself ..

Begin again.

(Contributed by Collin McCarty)

Believe in yourself

There may be days when you get up in the morning and things aren’t the way you had hoped they would be.

That’s when you have to tell yourself that things will get better. There are times when people disappoint you and let you down.

But those are the times when you must remind yourself to trust your own judgments and opinions, to keep your life focused on believing in yourself.

There will be challenges to face and changes to make in your life, and it is up to you to accept them.

Constantly keep yourself headed in the right direction for you. It may not be easy at times, but in those times of struggle you will find a stronger sense of who you are.

So when the days come that are filled with frustration and unexpected responsibilities, remember to believe in yourself and all you want your life to be.

Because the challenges and changes will only help you to find the goals that you know are meant to come true for you.

Keep believing in yourself

(Author unknown, source unknown)

(From the Net)

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