We watch the gun violence on the news, we listen to political pundits justify their “side”, we see road rage every day, we hear parents at sporting events rudely berating our kids, we see more viewers for reality TV than we do for important events. This is the new normal. But does it have to be?
These things invade our lives, but how do we define our lives? Yes, it is important to understand and support our causes, to speak out against wrongs, and to ensure we look our for those less fortunate – but for our sanity, we need to redefine our “lives”. Take it back.
This hit me as I was evaluating how quickly my three boys have grown into young men, how my wonderful relationship with my wife is in our second 25 years, and how my siblings are aging quickly (so I must be as well). The clock is ticking for us – it never stops. My best friend has Stage 4 cancer, my dog has cancer – life is precious.
We need to take back our sanity. How? Well, let’s start at home. The important issues are truly your spouse, your kids, your parents, your family. Can you give them each one positive comment each and every day? Date nights with each kid, your spouse, your parent? Then, let’s look at our workplace. What relationships can you focus on? Is there someone whom you know is struggling that you can help lighten their load? Are there peers who are struggling with current issues – have you reached out to them for a coffee? Left them a note? Dropped a card? Now, let’s expand that circle to your friends, your peers, and your friends of faith…
Just imagine if we worked hard and focused on improving these relationships? We focused on being a better spouse, a better parent, a better son/daughter, a better employee, a better coworker – a better person? How do we get this started? I am going to start with me – I think it becomes contagious.
Imagine for a moment if everyone we know had this same focus. I think our world gets better quickly. My point being that it all starts with us. We often take on BIG causes, but change starts with us as an individual. The Dalai Lama tweeted out in early January of this year, “Change starts with us as individuals. If one individual becomes more compassionate it will influence others and so we will change the world.”
I agree. Change for me starts today…and then tomorrow…and then…
Dave Harmon
People Division
“Kindness is Currency”
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/davidharmonhr
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