FRIDAY REVIEW: MEANING
What gives your life meaning? Here are a few meaning-related posts you may have missed. Click the links to read the full message.
“Her soul was too deep to explore by those who always swam in the shallow end.”
Category Archives: Meaning
“She was too deep for…”
“Her soul was too deep to explore by those who always swam in the shallow end.”
-A.J. Lawless
Image from ripplecentral.com
Most of us are familiar with the stories of prospectors digging for gold or other precious gems, and know that these valuable resources are rarely found at the surface. We must dig deep into the earth to claim them.
The same is true if we wish to reap the rich rewards of deep and meaningful relationships with friends, family, and colleagues. Scratching the surface with limited attention virtually never creates the respectful, trusting, and soulfully satisfying relationships we all desire.
EXERCISE:
Where and with whom can you explore and pursue a deeper, more meaningful relationship in either your personal or professional life?
“Little Things Mean a Lot.”
“Little Things Mean a Lot.”
— Carl Stutz/Edith Calisch, Songwriters
Image from perfectbodybywii.blogspot.com
Big things get a lot of attention in our world. Society makes a point to recognize and celebrate things that stand out, such as:
- The highest mountains
- The tallest trees
- The biggest buildings
- The largest ships
- Super-sized foods
- The biggest athletes
- The richest people
- The largest homes
Meanwhile, when prompted to look closely at what brings them personal satisfaction and a life of meaning and purpose, many people list the often-overlooked “little things” that bring them smiles and fill their hearts.
EXERCISE:
If you, too, see the “little things” as big things in your life, consider generating a list of 20, 50, or even 100 “little things” that mean a lot to you.
“My Life is my message.”
“My Life is my message.”
-Mahatma Gandhi, leader of Indian independence movement in British-ruled India
Mahatma Gandhi
Mahatma Gandhi was always helping and concerned about others. His aims in life included truth, non-violence, spirituality, honesty, discipline, and loyalty. His name, Mahatma, means “a great soul.” He was chosen as “Man of the Millennium” by the BBC.
Once, while Gandhi’s train was pulling out of a station, a European reporter ran to his compartment window. “Do you have a message I can take back to my people?” he asked. It was Gandhi’s day of silence, a vital respite from his demanding speaking schedule, so he didn’t reply. Instead, he scrawled these words on a scrap of paper and passed it to the reporter: “my life is my message.”
EXERCISE:
If your life were your message, what would the people around you say about you? Given, hopefully, many successful and meaningful years ahead, what new or different messages would your legacy include?
Please consider reviewing the links below to examine Gandhi’s extraordinary message in greater detail.
http://www.biography.com/people/mahatma-gandhi-9305898
http://www.history.co.uk/biographies/mahatma-gandhi
http://www.mkgandhi.org/
“The universe will fill your cup if you carry a big cup, a little cup, or a thimble.”
“The universe will fill your cup if you carry a big cup, a little cup, or a thimble.”
– Sonia Choquette, spiritual teacher and author
How full is your life? If it is so full that things are spilling out, perhaps this is because your life vessel is too small, and because some of the wrong things are trying to enter.
This quote points to the importance of the size of our life’s vessel, so that it can hold the abundance which the universe can provide. It suggests we have the ability to shift the size from one of limitation to one of greater proportions.
An additional consideration I’d like to suggest is to place a filter over the opening, and let only those people and experiences best suited to your specific life journey enter.
Exercise:
What actions will you take now and in the future both to expand the capacity of your life container and to accept only the highest quality ingredients for a full and happy life?
In other words, let’s go for both: quantity and quality.
#102: “That man is the richest whose pleasures are the cheapest.”
– Henry D. Thoreau, author and leading transcendentalist
My father Marvin, at the age of 85, is one of the people I most admire. Throughout my life, he always referred to himself as one of the richest men in the world. We lived very modestly in a row house in Philadelphia, and I can never recall him complaining about his life.
He included among his riches:
- A loving marriage
- A job as a teacher, coach and counselor, where he got to make a difference
- A happy family life with three wonderful kids (including me :-))
- Good health
- Close and loyal friends
- A good sense of humor to laugh at life and even at himself
Exercise:
What are your personal riches that cost you little, yet bring you great wealth?
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#75: “Each lifetime is the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle…”
“… For others the puzzle is more difficult to assemble. But know this: you do not have within yourself all of the pieces of your puzzle. Everyone carries with them at least one and probably many pieces to someone else’s puzzle… When you present your piece, which is worthless to you, to another, whether you know it or not, you are a messenger from the Most High.”
– Rabbi Lawrence Kushner
There is a corny sentiment in romantic movies: “you complete me.” What if this really is true and that we all have within us a certain quality, characteristic, skill, or gift that makes another person more whole and complete?
Exercise:
What special gifts and talents do you have to contribute?
What gaps or missing pieces are there in your life that need filling?
How would a greater awareness of these allow you to fulfill your highest purpose?
Quotes are posted on The Quotable Coach a week after being sent out by email. To get the latest quotes straight to your inbox, pop your details in the sidebar to the right.
#65: “Your vision will become clear only when you can look into your own heart…”
“…Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakens.”
– Carl Jung
The past year has been particularly difficult for me and my family, due to the passing of my mother, Rose. As we all took the time to be with each other and to experience the deep feelings within our hearts, I experienced a significant awakening. I even serendipitously discovered Mark Nepo’s The Book of Awakening to assist me on this inner journey.
Exercise:
How can you look into your own heart through inspirational reading, faith-based practices, meditation or other means to find greater depth and meaning in your life?
Quotes are posted on The Quotable Coach a week after being sent out by email. To get the latest quotes straight to your inbox, pop your details in the sidebar to the right.