Welcome to the New
Initially, I had wanted to write a blog everyday for a year. However, the past four weeks have been intense. I’m blessed to have my sweet newborn daughter enter the world on May 18th. Since then, things have gotten quite busy in many ways. In addition to being caught up with international business travel and developing my professional career, I’m learning how to be a father. It’s amazing how big life events can dramatically shift our responsibilities and the attitude we carry. I now clearly feel the responsibility of taking care of the next generation, and the depth of meaning it holds.
When I see my daughter Vivian, I want to do the most I can to take care of her. When I think about how to go about doing that, my behavior and mindset begin to adjust. I then start to think about why I’ve been so selfish to just focus on taking care of my own family – perhaps I should think on a more broad level and take care of those within my community as well. Every action I take is either a step forward or a step back. I realize that even the things I do that seemingly affect myself really have an effect on others.
Some much-needed time to sit and be introspective has been helpful. I’ve needed to reflect on the last thirty years of my life. It’s hard to believe I’m still the same person with all the developments that I’ve made, but yet, I know how much improvement I’m capable of making. Life isn’t about being perfect but a willingness to improve and develop upon what we do have – even if it seems like someone else has better talent. It’s irrelevant; we all have strengths and weaknesses. As long as we are useful on some level, it’s “enough.”
We can’t compare. There’s nothing objective about it, and frankly, it doesn’t matter. This world needs more collaboration rather than conflict. It’s easier said than done, but we have to focus on the bigger picture and realize that eventually, no one really cares about what you’ve accomplished or if you were the smartest in your class. What matters are if you’ve loved well and have been responsible - that kind of character is rewarded in both this life and the next.
We need to spend time with those who challenge us to be better people. Cutting negative people from our lives is necessary, but also hard, especially if they offer some benefits. Overall, we can’t be selfish, but we need to be careful of ourselves. We are most effective when we take care of ourselves. The world needs more people with kindness, but also carry a healthy dose of self-respect.
For further related reading, please check out: If You’ve Lost Passion.
