Free will

When you meet people, you learn that no two people are alike. That's amazing! In principle, I like to think difference is a good thing. I mean, we can all learn from each other, right? 

Wait a minute! Humans have the freedom to choose. What about those close-minded people who think they already know everything? The same people who always tell you they know more than you do.  These are the people who tell you your plans will get you nowhere, that their way is better. And, they may not be motivated to do anything at all, at least anything like you would choose to do.

Life experience shows us tolerance and gratitude enable us to deal with the free will of others. We can learn to accept that people will differ from us, that we do not need to aspire to be like them.  We can be grateful for petty annoyances because we can choose to be bothered or not.  Free will is a distinctly human trait which enables us to reflect on what we would or wouldn't do, and why choose to exercise choices and why we may impose our own limits.

Who sees you as you are?

How might I take steps to better myself? Too many projects ongoing? What about you? I suppose my desire to learn what I can about myself and the world prompts me to act in the time I've been given.

Today, I was thinking about the book, "The Five People You Meet in Heaven" by Mitch Albom. Now, this isn't because I hope I die soon.  Though I admit the concept of heaven is uplifting for me. Some people think death and dying is a rather morbid subject, but this book is actually quite surprising. The writing style and concepts raised expanded on my view of the after-life.  I open my eyes to new possibilities about the significance of the 'here and now' and what events have yet to be. 

In the book, on Eddie's 83rd birthday, he dies unexpectedly in a tragic accident, trying to save a little girl from a falling cart in an amusement park. With his final breath, he feels two small hands in his, and then nothing. He awakens in the afterlife, where he learns heaven is no lush Garden of Eden, but a place where your earthly life is explained by five people who were in it. These people may have been loved ones or strangers. Each of them changed your path forever.

What did I learn from Eddy's story? Don't give up. Whatever happens to you right now, it prepares you for a future. This is the way of the earthly world. People you know and don't know are helping you along all the time with their choices.  Everything is linked. You're loved.  You're being heard.  Your sense of time doesn't run the show.  Life unfolds whether or not we think we're ready.

I remember a story of a old monk who was mentoring a younger monk. The owise monk's peers repeatedly asked him why he was wasting time on his charge. After all, the young monk was openly obnoxious, negative, lazy and demonstrated the exact opposite of desirable monk traits.  The old monk replied "I could never turn him away. He is God's greatest gift to me.  As the result of his presence, I'm developing deeper patience, understanding and resourcefulness than I've ever had." 

The older monk reminds me every problem I encounter introduces me to another side of myself.  People who enter our lives mirror some part of us that we may not initially see or understand.  How we react teaches about our desires, needs and ego.  How I perceive my own difficulties is itself enlightening.  Issues don't just go away.  I learn to think differently to better understand and work through . Each one is an opportunity to develop my insight and ingenuity.  As the result, I raise awareness of the power within myself and encourage people to know benefits in the following:

1) seek experience dealing with problems rather than avoiding them

2) spend time to discover the real underlying issue;

3) actively explore several possible solutions;

4) consult individuals with relevant experience. 

Accelerate or hinder your progress

Awareness of what you like or dislike about yourself is the first step to developing a clearer sense of who you are.  How you see yourself contributes to your attitude and whether you accelerate or hinder your own life learning.  As you grow to feel grateful for all your experiences,  you will also see open-ended benefits in the following:

• Concern yourself more with making others feel good about themselves than making them feel good about you 
• If you're unable to clarify your vision in ways that motivate yourself and others,  then  its time to revise it         
• Raise your awareness about issues you need to know, not necessarily about what you wish to hear