Meaningful Conversations With Delicious Beverages
Anyone who has ever had to work with, or interact with another human being has been told the tired adage of "perception is reality." It is the pinnacle of management to blame others for things outside of their control (that's sarcasm). I have fought against this my whole career. Just because someone thinks something, doesn't make it true, or make it reality.
It is difficult to pursue anything and keep the soul in tact the entire time. Results are alluring. We reach for them and glory in the dopamine spike and we want more.
Children are influenced by their parents. That is their privilege and their curse. They will be taught and incorporate lessons from their parents without realizing that it came from them. The amount of time spent with parents makes it difficult to distinguish where the parents thoughts end and the kids thoughts begin. One of the most important things a person needs to do as they come into their own is assess their thoughts and determine which ones they truly believe and which ones belong to their parents and they want to leave behind.
Have you ever sat down and watched a cooking show and get frustrated because they make it look so easy? Yeah, I could cook an amazing meal like too! If I had everything set up for me in pre-measured little dishes and everything set up for me! As I continue to cook, and continue to work out my faith, I find more and more similarities with the two. We see these great Saints and think, "I could be holy too if I was given all of the opportunities they had?" If we are honest with our selves, we say this about a lot of things. I would be as popular as them if I had those abs. I would would be more successful if I dressed like them. We are always comparing ourselves to others, looking for an excuse to make for why we are not where we want to me.
There are some risks that go hand in hand with those benefits though. When people respond to our content, we feel good. What happens then is that we stop expressing ourselves and start seeking approval of others. In all honesty, the only person in the world who will be able to identify that change is ourselves. It is an internal shift that steals our happiness.
What does it mean to be prepared? I think it is two fold: our skill set and our mindset.
I have a vision for my life. I feel a calling drawing me to something, something big. I have summarized it in my mantra, which is, "Make God's Greatness Known." The problem with this is that it is too big. It overwhelms me.