Thoughts at 58
It’s become a tradition for me to reflect on the past year as I draw near to another birthday. Since last May, there have been numerous opportunities to revisit, explore, and discover some insights that have impacted my life. Here are a few in no particular order:
At the beginning and end of the day, relationships are everything.
You can’t teach truth directly. Our deepest insights come from indirect pathways such as parables, metaphors, perspective taking, and serendipity.
Pursuing wholeness and balance are essential for a healthy, happy, meaningful life. Living outside of our integrity will destroy us in time.
You don’t have to believe something for it to be true. And just because you believe something doesn’t necessarily make it true either. Looking for the patterns in life, observing things over time, and truly reflecting on the experiences of others and ourselves open us to seeing truth a little clearer.
We are worthy, valuable, and enough just as we are. We don’t have to prove our worth to anyone. When we are free from having to hustle for everyone’s approval, we become empowered to be our authentic selves.
Love is a commitment to the good of the other. If we are faced with tough decisions, always choose love.
The recipient gets to determine the value of the offering, no matter what the intentions of the giver may be.
When the student is ready, the teacher will come. However, they won’t have all the answers. Hopefully, they can help you ask the right questions. Conversely, when the teacher is ready, the student will come as well.
Real personal growth requires the breakdown of some relationships. The process may be painful, but living more authentically is worth it.
Something I read in The Happiness Hypothesis by Jonathan Haidt kind of sums it up for me: “Just as plants need sun, water, and good soil to thrive, people need love, work, and a connection to something larger. It is worth striving to get the right relationships with yourself and others, between yourself and your work, and between yourself and something larger than yourself. If you get these relationships right, a sense of purpose and meaning will emerge.”