Daily Mood Quote - July 1, 2011

 

Daily Mood Quote

Day 58 – July 1, 2011

Do you want to know who you are? Don't ask. Act! Action will delineate and define you.

~Thomas Jefferson

I can remember a number of times when I was a child, the words “you can't” and “your not smart enough for that” and of course that infamous phrase “no, you can never do that!” All in the context of what I wanted to do when I grew up. Remember, Day 8, May 12, I wanted to be a nun? Like many before me and many after me, I asked questions in order to find out who I was. When we are children we believe our parents know best, or at least know us best. Boy, was I wrong.

There is a song “Teach your children” by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young and in the song there is a phrase that goes, “and you of tender years can't know the fears that your elders grew by.” When is the last time fear made a good decision about who you are? Sometimes, inadvertently or without information, we tend to make decisions for and push identities onto the next generation. Occasionally, those attitudes can be based on bad experiences, our own failures and even our own successes. Let's face it, we only want the best for our children and ourselves. Unfortunately, we forget that mistakes have to happen in order to learn. It's the job of us “who are on the road” to “teach them well,” not tell them who they are or what they can't become. No two people are alike, even when they come from the same family. For me, it took many years to come out of my shell and be true to myself.

In the movie Daddy Day Care, Becca (played by Hailey Noelle Johnson) said to Charlie Hinton (played by Eddie Murphy) “We need more learning about things! Yes, We're at a very critical age. You have to feed our minds!” We are always at a “critical age,” learning doesn't stop just because we graduate, or because we age. It is a continual journey. We learn whether we want to or not, so why not make the best of it? Learning who we are and what we can do is a life long adventure. I believe if we are open to that, we will never cease to surprise ourselves at our capacity to become a newer better version of ourselves... everyday. Take the action to learn, grow and define yourself anew everyday.

What "actions" will define you today?

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Daily Mood Quote - May 19, 2011

Daily Mood Quote

Day 15 – May 19, 2011

“A leader leads by example, whether he intends to or not.”

~ Unknown

I recently attended a school function that left me feeling... disappointed. My first interaction was listening to the coordinator of the event (and I use that term loosely) “tell”, not ask the teenagers who were manning the table to “Make sure you grab the money.” she also chastised the teens about the people who were already admitted and did not pay, who knew? This was a teacher sponsored event through the school (I think), that was poorly promoted and therefore no one knew it was a paid event. Many people walking in to support their children, or friends of their children, were taken by surprise at the cost. Even earlier conversations with the participants didn't reveal that there was a charge. They had received an information sheet about this event and even some of that information was incorrect. Yes, it was on a webpage, buried three miles deep, on an obscure sub-site, no one ever goes too. The main high school site carried no information about the event, or the cost, whatsoever. After leaving the event, my honest feelings regarding this, “Folks paid top dollar for a half-hearted effort” by the staff coordinators. It is sad that this has become acceptable, the kids deserve better.

My life lessons have arrived via multiple avenues. Such as accidental role models, an occasional good movie, or sometimes in a book. I like the ladder analogy, with every step comes experience, with every experience comes the lessons right, wrong and maybe I'll understand later. The point is that adults who have climbed that ladder need to pass along the good from each rung and discern what steps they should not let others take. Here's what the kids learned yesterday from their teacher sponsor. Don't be upfront about costs. Sloppy work is OK, because it's all about grabbing the money. And if a customer disagrees with you, get aggressive, defensive and argumentative. I can't see those as positive steps in those children's life ladder. Do you? Great job!!

Crosby Stills, Nash and Young sang “Teach your children well...” and in today's hyper-fast, slap-dash world, I see less and less of that. It seems as if we have forgotten the basic lessons that have carried humanity forward for the past two millennia. My husband chose to simply walk away and get some space, rather than engage in an argument with this teacher over something so trivial. Neither did he, or I accept, or capitulate to her belligerent attitude. Ladder lesson: You don’t have to accept substandard behavior, products, or services “just because”. In the end, my daughter who is a quick wit and shrewd negotiator, got us in at no charge, as she rapidly pointed out the errors and stood toe-to-toe in a positive manner with this person. Ladder lesson: Always stand up for what you know is right. Sometimes the ladder steps we occasionally forget are the ones our children use to teach us. I am very proud of her.

 

No movie quote today, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young said it best, “Teach your children well... and you of tender years... teach your parents well.”

 

What will you teach and what lessons will you learn today?

 

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