Today’s post is from my former boss (a term she always hated – because she’s awesome like that), Tanya Sammis. She’s shared some nuggets of wisdom that are PERFECT for this Monday, and any other day really! Enjoy:
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“We’re not meant to be alone.”
A colleague of mine said that to me the other day. It’s not something that necessarily crosses the brain every day, because, well, for the most part, we’re not alone. We’re in this whirlwind of life on a path to creating meaning, passion and greatness, each by our own human definition. I would contest that meditation and alone time are a good thing, in small portions, but God didn’t put us here to live by ourselves.
Aquila gave me the opportunity to share some thoughts on her blog, which is normally graced by experiential tips of fashion and motherhood. I told her I have expertise in neither of these areas, but I do like experience sharing – I think it’s the best way to live and the best way to learn, that is, if we are sharing the right things.
My world changed a couple of years ago when my eyes were opened to a quote – “Fundamentally, the world is uncertain. Decisions are about the future and your place in the future when that future is uncertain. So what is the key thing you can do to prepare for that uncertainty? You can have the right people with you.” The quote is by Jim Collins, and it’s referencing tough calls, life decisions and the like. It’s about people. It’s about not being alone, and not just being with people but THE RIGHT people.
When our days are full of chatter, tasks, events, meetings, appointments and then some semblance of gatherings to relax or unwind with family or friends at the end of the day, it’s hard to pause for a minute to appreciate the people who surround you. It is hard, I’ll admit it, but we have to do it. We get caught up in spending our time complaining about how our coffee got cold, we got stuck in traffic or someone who we spoke to on the phone just could not relate to what we were saying (obviously, making them the one in the wrong [insert sarcasm font]). If we spend our time complaining or just unloading our negative thoughts through communication, we are missing out on real life lessons and what we can do to make each of our worlds a better place.
The older I get, the more I realize that we are put in situations and given people in our lives for a reason, and we MUST learn to appreciate them. They make us who we are, and they give us the opportunities that our lives are meant to have to prosper. We are not meant to be alone (and I don’t mean we all have to have husbands and wives – marriage is for some more than others, to be sure). My iteration is that we have each other for a reason. God connects us so that we can make our dent in the Earth, create our castles in the corner of the sandbox – for Him, for ourselves and for the others around us whose lives we can impact.
Write down ten people in your life – mix it up with some who still play an active role in your life and others who don’t. Think about (or write) who they connected you with, what they helped you learn, how they drove you forward. Is it the sister who is there for you no matter what, the brother who is your tower and protector, the parents who wouldn’t leave your side regardless of what struggle you were facing? Is it the ex who brought a confidant, employee and someone who would light up your world every day, the former boss who led you to start a business of your own (with the help and support of many others), the stranger you sat by on a plane who recommended a book that altered your thinking? Is it the crazy college acquaintance who suggested a class to you that catapulted you in the direction of your current career or the friendliest faces who greet you at the front desk when you walk into work every morning? Is it the person who will stand by you through thick and thin as you navigate your way through life or your pastor who reminds you God is leading the way? Is it the person who cut you off in traffic and taught you patience or the kid running around screaming in the store reminding you how grateful you should be to have had a patient mom, because at one point in life, that kid was you?
Life, at its essence, is meant to be shared, and we can choose how to share it and with whom to share it. This may sound simple, but usually my words are – find the people in your life that you want to spend this valuable, precious time on Earth with, learn how you can support them and they can support you, and open your eyes wide enough to see that each person in life can teach you a lesson. Whether you get along with them or not is just a part of life, but what you take from the relationship and experience, well, that’s up to you.
Surround yourself today, and every day, with a mindset of appreciation for the humanity in others. For after all, we’re not meant to be alone.
Tanya is the co-owner of Sammis & Ochoa public relations firm, and she also blogs more inspirational goodness at The Elements of Happiness, which you can find here.
