With the first day of spring having arrived in the northern hemisphere our world starts its journey into the phase of life renewal. Grass, trees, flowers, and all kinds of vegetation begin to bloom forth from their wintery dormancy. We too as people begin to venture outdoors and re-energize ourselves. It is this time of the year when our minds begin the renewal of opportunity put aside during the colder months of the year and think about the approaching warmth.
With St. Patrick’s Day approaching we may all consider ourselves to be Irish and call upon the luck the 4-leaf clover brings. The reality is that a quality life and culture does not come to be through the luck of any sort. It is by design that we craft the environments of our living and make choices to support the best outcomes which deliver a Quality of Living.
The divisiveness of individuals does nothing to build a culture where the best outcomes are possible. If we are seeking to have a world where all can respect and trust one another then we must each start with ourselves and removing our own elements of divisiveness from our daily behaviors.
Our society is caught up in the fallacy that all is for self and not for the community of humankind. As this attitude prevails it smothers the aspects of respect of one another. Everyone is out for themselves rather than what is best for the benefit of the whole. This can lead to a very slippery slope where even self-gratification ends up feeling empty as there is no one to share it with in the long run.
In thinking about our culture, we can easily be distracted in many directions by the noise and various opinions which swirl around each of us every moment of the day. It is time to pause and look deeply at what makes up a positive, productive culture and then have the confidence to step forward and take action to move in our best contributing direction.
Our society embraces the numerous holidays of every calendar year. Valentines’ day is no exception. Since before the Christmas/New Year’s festivities, Valentines cards, flowers, candies and well wishes have filled the stores and windows. As we recover from the activities of Valentine’s Day, let us take to heart the truest meaning of loving each other and all of humanity.
Although February is the shortest month on the calendar, it has overwhelming opportunity. We have all either dropped our new year’s resolution by now or we are forming positive habits which has greatness in some form or fashion attached to them. It is the second month of the year when the holidays are completely behind us and it is all about getting down to business. Let your creative juices flow and take yourself to the next Big Dream!
A very interesting part of our culture are the traditions brought forward from our diverse past. These flavorings from the amalgamation of many cultures gives our society its uniqueness. It is these points of bringing forward our history that allows us to be a more full and complete community. Rather than dismiss the past we need to embrace it both for what is good and not so good. Learn from both so that we can improve on our culture moving forward.
Holding oneself to high standards is not only important for your own growth and achievement but it invites relationships to you which want to help you get where you are going. The path on your journey if then filled not with fear and challenges but with energy and people who are all growing with you.
As we move into a new year of better outcomes, take some time to set in motion a governing approach which focuses on building yourself up to the levels necessary to achieve greatness rather than dragging others down to a level below you, so you create the impression of growth at another’s expense. It may appear and even feel like growth but in the end, it is lowering yourself to a new low.