Reinventing Ourselves: Don't Get Stuck with Your Old Self
When we were born we were what our parents expected: Precious Babies with a lot of promise. Even if we came into this world with a visible defect our mothers and fathers still wanted us to be more than a mediocre human being. The expectation for us unattractive - but cute to our parents - newborns was: to be the best we could/can be. This has always been someone’s wish. A wish that for so many turned into a nightmare or a beautiful story that will be told once we leave our physical selves, and become one with the spirit realm. So, as this year closes I have a question for you: Have you become the best you could/can become?
Usually around this time of the year we hear or read messages that prompt us to reevaluate our decisions and assess where we are in life. We spend countless minutes trying to tally up the good we have done, analyzing the pain we have caused, and we spend an enormous amount of mental energy regretting. I recall years ago saying to myself, “Brian, you shall not have any regrets in this life – so live!” At that very moment I decided to live a life worth singing and dancing about as I listened to someone besides myself sing that song that has the following words in it: “As I look back over my life…”. Now, that I have lived a pretty decent life (according to my evaluation) I still yearn for the day to come when I can say with confidence: I am the master of my world, controller of my destiny and ruler of my fate. Will I ever be in a position to say this? Will you? If we begin or continue to reinvent self, we will. But, if we stay in that same drastically unfulfilling, tediously monotonous, and unchallenging place we will travel the slow and boring road of mental/spiritual death instead of flourishing in every imaginable capacity.
I hear ya: ‘Another motivational speech from another person who has no clue what my life entails.’ This is how I sarcastically respond when a stranger starts to insinuate what I need to do to live a fulfilling life. Perhaps, it is my arrogance that somewhat shuts me down or maybe it is my passive approach of not facing the TRUTH? For me, honestly, it has been me evading the truth. Dodging the reality of my life. What is the personal truth that you have failed to address?
Are you doing what Frankie Beverly sings about: Running Away? If you are you are not alone. This is the reason we have New Year Resolutions. All year, we knowingly ignore what is RIGHT for us, and at the end of the year we somehow decide to face the music. This is our way of ‘starting over’ when in fact we never seriously began anew. No, we just go along with this end of the year commercialized process - some of us with good intentions – because everyone else is doing it, and believe it or not creating a resolution helps us feel better about our failures, short-comings and/or personal defects. Failures that occurred, and later helped me remember this: ‘God did not make no mistakes.” This often blurted-out statement from momma was enough for me to ‘get back up’.
On December 31st we will make another commitment to get it right – but how long are we going to spend ‘getting it right’? Shouldn’t there be a litmus test or a thorough analysis of where we are with the promises we made twelve months ago? Perhaps, we are taking the WRONG approach if the resolutions are a repeat of 2007’s.
Reinvention vs. Promises
What are we doing to reinvent Sherri, Patrick, Brian, and Sabrina? For the sake of a better you, me, and the world it is our responsibility to become a different and improved person each and every year that we live. A better parent, friend, sibling, business owner, employee, etc. If we take the same actions (promises) in 2008, we are truly a fabrication of what our parents expected. We are nothing more than a precious little baby in an adult body who fails to truly be the BEST he or she can be. We are nothing more than a ‘being’ that’s passing through life, and a human void who’s not having any impact on changing lives simply because you/me refuse to become a new and fresh individual (reinvention).
Don’t ya wanna get rid of that old self?
Examples of Reinventions:
Arthur Ashe – once a tennis player – died a committed civil rights activist
Queen Latifah – was a rapper – now an impressive vocalist
Sidney Poitier – once an actor – now a compassionate humanitarian
Iyanla Vanzant – was an abused spouse – now a dynamic speaker
Muhammad Ali – once a boxer – now an international peace icon
Maya Angelou – was a madam – now a phenomenal poet
…and all those men and women who are not notable celebrities. Those REGULAR FOLK! They are within our communities. Let’s become one or either search for them.
Take a look at the most popular New Year’s Resolutions. Should I be surprised that honoring the Golden Rule is not on the list?
http://www.usa.gov/Citizen/Topics/New_Years_Resolutions.shtml
How can a concept that’s woven into the moral fabric of all civilizations, most religions – but be obviously irrelevant to most of the world’s population not make the list? Are we really trying to LOVE one another?
The Ethic of Reciprocity is universal:
http://www.teachingvalues.com/goldenrule.html
Written by Muata. Inspired by those souls who have been taking advantage of Self-Reinvention.
When we were born we were what our parents expected: Precious Babies with a lot of promise. Even if we came into this world with a visible defect our mothers and fathers still wanted us to be more than a mediocre human being. The expectation for us unattractive - but cute to our parents - newborns was: to be the best we could/can be. This has always been someone’s wish. A wish that for so many turned into a nightmare or a beautiful story that will be told once we leave our physical selves, and become one with the spirit realm. So, as this year closes I have a question for you: Have you become the best you could/can become?
Usually around this time of the year we hear or read messages that prompt us to reevaluate our decisions and assess where we are in life. We spend countless minutes trying to tally up the good we have done, analyzing the pain we have caused, and we spend an enormous amount of mental energy regretting. I recall years ago saying to myself, “Brian, you shall not have any regrets in this life – so live!” At that very moment I decided to live a life worth singing and dancing about as I listened to someone besides myself sing that song that has the following words in it: “As I look back over my life…”. Now, that I have lived a pretty decent life (according to my evaluation) I still yearn for the day to come when I can say with confidence: I am the master of my world, controller of my destiny and ruler of my fate. Will I ever be in a position to say this? Will you? If we begin or continue to reinvent self, we will. But, if we stay in that same drastically unfulfilling, tediously monotonous, and unchallenging place we will travel the slow and boring road of mental/spiritual death instead of flourishing in every imaginable capacity.
I hear ya: ‘Another motivational speech from another person who has no clue what my life entails.’ This is how I sarcastically respond when a stranger starts to insinuate what I need to do to live a fulfilling life. Perhaps, it is my arrogance that somewhat shuts me down or maybe it is my passive approach of not facing the TRUTH? For me, honestly, it has been me evading the truth. Dodging the reality of my life. What is the personal truth that you have failed to address?
Are you doing what Frankie Beverly sings about: Running Away? If you are you are not alone. This is the reason we have New Year Resolutions. All year, we knowingly ignore what is RIGHT for us, and at the end of the year we somehow decide to face the music. This is our way of ‘starting over’ when in fact we never seriously began anew. No, we just go along with this end of the year commercialized process - some of us with good intentions – because everyone else is doing it, and believe it or not creating a resolution helps us feel better about our failures, short-comings and/or personal defects. Failures that occurred, and later helped me remember this: ‘God did not make no mistakes.” This often blurted-out statement from momma was enough for me to ‘get back up’.
On December 31st we will make another commitment to get it right – but how long are we going to spend ‘getting it right’? Shouldn’t there be a litmus test or a thorough analysis of where we are with the promises we made twelve months ago? Perhaps, we are taking the WRONG approach if the resolutions are a repeat of 2007’s.
Reinvention vs. Promises
What are we doing to reinvent Sherri, Patrick, Brian, and Sabrina? For the sake of a better you, me, and the world it is our responsibility to become a different and improved person each and every year that we live. A better parent, friend, sibling, business owner, employee, etc. If we take the same actions (promises) in 2008, we are truly a fabrication of what our parents expected. We are nothing more than a precious little baby in an adult body who fails to truly be the BEST he or she can be. We are nothing more than a ‘being’ that’s passing through life, and a human void who’s not having any impact on changing lives simply because you/me refuse to become a new and fresh individual (reinvention).
Don’t ya wanna get rid of that old self?
Examples of Reinventions:
Arthur Ashe – once a tennis player – died a committed civil rights activist
Queen Latifah – was a rapper – now an impressive vocalist
Sidney Poitier – once an actor – now a compassionate humanitarian
Iyanla Vanzant – was an abused spouse – now a dynamic speaker
Muhammad Ali – once a boxer – now an international peace icon
Maya Angelou – was a madam – now a phenomenal poet
…and all those men and women who are not notable celebrities. Those REGULAR FOLK! They are within our communities. Let’s become one or either search for them.
Take a look at the most popular New Year’s Resolutions. Should I be surprised that honoring the Golden Rule is not on the list?
http://www.usa.gov/Citizen/Topics/New_Years_Resolutions.shtml
How can a concept that’s woven into the moral fabric of all civilizations, most religions – but be obviously irrelevant to most of the world’s population not make the list? Are we really trying to LOVE one another?
The Ethic of Reciprocity is universal:
http://www.teachingvalues.com/goldenrule.html
Written by Muata. Inspired by those souls who have been taking advantage of Self-Reinvention.
