Monthly Archives: October 2020

In the Moment

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Mother Angelica said, “If I’m living in the future or I’m living in the past, I’m not receptive to the grace of the Present Moment.” For her, the Present Moment took on the importance of a sacrament. As she explains it:

…I was getting too caught up in the problems of each day. They would overwhelm me. At that point, I decided I couldn’t do that. You handle this moment, then the next, and then you forget about it and move on to the next moment. …to bear everything that happened today and everything that will happen tomorrow all at one time is too much for anyone. (Mother Angelica’s Little Book of Life Lessons and Everyday Spirituality)

For more on this check out the short video below:

Before You Respond . . .

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The normal thing to do when attacked is to respond in kind, or run away. If someone yells at you, the natural inclination is to raise your own voice in response. If someone strikes you, the natural inclination is to strike them back. If someone sends you a critical email, the natural inclination is to send back an equally critical email. These are all natural reactions and in almost every case, these are the WRONG reactions. Responding in kind to these kinds of stimuli displays poor emotional intelligence and weak leadership skills.

For more on this check out the short video below:

 

A Little Paranoia is Healthy

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A wise person will always understand that things rarely go as planned. Helmuth von Moltke stated: “No battle plan survives contact with the enemy.” It is good to have a plan, the sad truth, however, is that as often as not the plan doesn’t come together, at least as originally conceived. So, be prepared, at least mentally, for things to go awry. Always keep in mind the very real likelihood that you WILL need a plan ‘B,’ and perhaps even a plan ‘C’ and ‘D.’ This little bit of paranoia will give you the ability to accept reality as it unfolds, and be flexible in modifying the plan as necessary.

For more on this check out the short video below:

Blind Spots – Johari Window

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The Johari window is a psychological tool that looks at self-awareness, specifically mapping awareness of our idiosyncrasies into a matrix of four blocks:

1) that which is known by ourselves and others,

2) that which is known by others but we don’t know it about ourselves,

3) that which we know about ourselves but others do not know, and

4) that which neither others or we ourselves know about our personality/behavior.

The reason I include this in a proverb is that self-knowledge is fundamental to wisdom.

For more on this check out the short video below:

WIIFM

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WIIFM stands for: “What’s In It For Me.”  WIIFM is the operational philosophy of nearly 100% of the population, nearly 100% of the time, including you and me. Yes, there are a LOT of people who say they operate under a different philosophy, and there may be a few who do, at least occasionally, but, by and large, that number is low.  Christians strive to operate out of a philosophy of love and consideration of others above self. This is as it should be and God’s design, but most give little thought to anyone or anything without first considering the WIIFM.

For more on this check out the short video below: