Life is the most magnificent classroom we will ever find.
For the lessons to have value, there needs to be a concerted effort at reflection where severe thought or consideration is spent determining the meaning of things to you.
There is value in all experiences, but you have to look for it many times. Being more conscious of the moments we have to learn from and reflecting on them for value begins with your thoughts, emotions, words, and actions. The Purpose of reflection is thoughtful contemplation of events to become the best we can be.
The Value of Reflection
One of the rewards of reflection is that a person can take a complex, tumultuous situation and my valuable, meaningful moments from it. The human mind is always trying to make sense of things and determine where something fits in their experience. Without reflection, there is no room to learn about or consider any new situation or results leading to learning. With a bit of contemplation, each case brings an opportunity for growth. Take advantage of that chance and become a better version of yourself.
This choice is not easy because the swirl of activity can be disorienting. Like a carnival ride, a lot of input in a short time. That is where reflection allows you to walk back over it, look for the value, and disregard the parts that aren’t helpful. Considering the amount that exists at the moment will give you the ability to grow almost as much as you choose to. You can find the calm in the chaos of life and provide that to other people as well. That is the value of reflection.
Reflect and Grow
One of the issues with being human is that we all have faults, and no matter what we are doing, we can do it a little bit better. It is only through thoughtful reflection that improvement can come. Even at a job you have been doing for years, and you can do it better. Reflection will show you potential paths for development and growth in all situations.
To refuse to reflect on performance and possibility is the only limit to improvement in anything you do. It is easy to get comfortable and think you have mastered any particular skill or activity. This complacency is the way to limit what you can be and grow into as your best self. Become conscious of what you are doing and never stop looking for potential innovation you can create. It is only through the reflection of people performing a task that improvement will arrive. One of man’s most significant faults is to believe they know it all. There are always new frontiers to conquer.
Reflections
Today I urge you to be conscious of the situations in your life. At work, at play, or home. Look at what is happening and ask yourself reflective questions. How can this be better? What is of value here? What lesson can I learn? What else is here that I may not recognize on the surface? How can I be a better person because of this situation?
Being conscious of your thoughts, emotions, words, and actions will create more value from what you experience. Every moment is a chance to learn something, or it is a chance to know nothing, and you decide that value.
Questions for Reflection:
What have you recently experienced that was painful but made you a better person for going through it?
What is the most valuable lesson you have ever learned?
What makes you the right person?
How can you improve at your job or a talent you participate in every day?
Quotes on Reflections
“Sometimes, you have to look back in order to understand the things that lie ahead.” ― Yvonne Woon, Dead Beautiful
“To reflect is to allow yourself a moment to learn valuable lessons every experience gives you.”
“Wish I didn’t know now what I didn’t know then.” Bob Seger
We reflect on taking the lessons and providing value to our experiences.
Recently I had a birthday, which means many years ago, I entered this game of life and am still trying to figure out how the swirl of thoughts, emotions, and corresponding actions connect to build our lives. I always thought I would have all the answers by now, but life is a tricky experience. You move past one veil, answering some questions only to find there are five more waiting for you there. On your birthday, I think it is your obligation to yourself and the experience of life to look at the lessons you struggled with, overcame, mastered, or are still working on over the past year. By assessing your experiences and taking the lessons, they teach with gratitude. It is possible to make even outwardly negative things favorable for you. So here is my look back at the last year, a reflection of gratitude. Also though this was not an easy year, easy life is not necessarily a good life.
How has my year been?
I think it is best to reflect on the year in lessons learned, and here are a few of the valuable things I have learned. There have been many challenges, a ton of new information as well. So with all that a great year, I also managed to make it to the gym every day of the year.
Enjoy every moment because life will change, and those things you love may be gone, and there is no way to bring them back. We are only really guaranteed this moment, and that is it. If you share it with someone else, that makes it a memory. I am grateful for all the moments I have shared with others over the past year.
I am responsible for my level of happiness and enjoyment of life. It isn’t anyone else’s fault if I am not happy with my life, job, or choices. There are going to be times which are easier to be pleased with than others. It is up to us in our experience to choose to enjoy them or not. Not everything is pleasant, and there has been plenty of difficulty and pain in my year, but I prefer to focus on the good rather than the bad. There is always some glimmer of good behind a cloud of sadness. Seek it.
Deal with your emotions, or they will deal with you. We all have feelings, and they are attached to every thought we produce in our minds. To ignore them is to ignore a message from your heart. We often get a negative feeling, and we don’t like it, so we move away from it as quickly as possible. I hope I have learned to move toward it, look at it, and understand it a little bit more. Sadness, anger, fear, and emotional cousins are not favorable to experience, but they are a natural part of being human and not so scary to handle.
Embrace them, see the thoughts that brought them to you. Usually, it is some residual memory of the experience, and always understanding takes away the fear and allows you to heal. I have recovered a lot this year. There is minimal teaching provided to us, helping a person learn how to develop emotional health. We are at the mercy of intellect and experience.
Enemies and Friends. This year I have learned how our thoughts can be our greatest enemies. How we choose to think about ourselves, our abilities and other people control much of our reality. A change in perspective and the way you feel about things can make your whole life seem different. The human mind, both complex and pleasant, can only focus on one thought at a time, and you control where that focus lies if you want to. Where your attention goes, energy flows, and if you are spending time on the negative, you will find more negative. If you spend time on the positive, then you will find more positive. This focus will determine how you see yourself and control what you can accomplish in life. Your thoughts always and drive you towards a direction you would like your life to take.
Learning is power. I have increased the things I learn about by merely using my commute time for knowledge rather than just mindlessly listening to music. Music is excellent, and I love it, but all the thoughts tied to it are from the past. I have started filling that time with podcasts, TED Talks, philosophy, audiobooks, and anything else to teach me something positive. Of course, it has helped me learn and put me in an intensely positive mood entering any day. Which has helped me, and I think it helped others as well. Learn wherever you can, new ideas, how someone else did what you want to do. All knowledge makes you better and drives you to new creations and accomplishments. Learn, grow, be better. Our growth is never complete, no matter how old we are.
My year was good, like any, I think. There were high highs and low lows. Sometimes I was very good at dealing with things and others. I was a work in progress, and that is OK. People have loved me, and some have hated me for whatever reason. In the logbook of my life, I think it has been a watershed year and one I will continue to learn.
Am I Satisfied With My Choices?
We make a thousand decisions every day. One of the things I learned about this year is that we make 95% of our choices subconsciously every day, which means our programming is running our life most of the time. If that programming is faulty, you will be continually making the same mistakes, doing the same things which may not be so good for you. So I have made several small changes I hope will have lasting effects on my success and enjoyment of life.
Time of reflection- I have tried to add short moments during the day to take inventory of what is happening during the day. One is at lunchtime. I try
Look into the sky tonight and know I am here today, in a year, in ten thousand years.
to take just five minutes during the day to enjoy the moment. Wherever it is. If the weather is beautiful and I am outside, then to be experience happiness about being alive at that moment, looking at a blue sky, or seeing a bird fly by. These things can affect my thoughts and make me happier and feel a connection to the positive in life. Another moment I have taken is no matter how busy, hectic, or long a workday has been, I take five minutes at night to sit outside and look up at the night sky and be grateful. I look at the stars each night for just a few minutes, and it reminds me of all the people I have known who are gone. I often wonder how many others are looking at the same sky and having similar thoughts. Maybe there are none. I hope that after reading this, there will be just one more. These moments have brought a little balance and daily gratitude to my experience of life this year. I am delighted with this choice.
Forgiveness- I think it is human nature to look at situations that hurt us, be angry at the people involved, and cast blame in their direction. I have made a choice not to do this. I am responsible for my emotions and the situations I have put myself in. I forgive anyone who hurt me and ask for their forgiveness for anything I have done. That is a choice that makes me happy. Life is too short to waste being angry with past events. Especially when the future may be the story you choose to write today. I wish to focus on the road I am on and what might be ahead because the best days are just around the corner.
In a nutshell, I am pretty happy with the overall choices I made this year because they have placed me here at this moment, and that is a pretty great moment to be experiencing.
I did My Best
I have been nowhere near perfect, but perfect is overrated. In the seams of mistakes, we learn the lessons that allow us to develop our knowledge, skills, and authentic personalities. I hope I have done my best to treat others well, take the lessons of the past, and apply them positively to my life. I did my best to be healthier both mentally and physically to be fully present in the current moments I have. In that way, I can enjoy things like writing this or going to the gym later and then just having time to contemplate, read, learn, or enjoy whatever is happening at that moment. In the final analysis, faced with positive and negative experiences, I have endeavored to be true to myself and remain on the positive side of things. I have tried my best. It hasn’t always been easy, but that makes it valuable. My heart is at peace.
In the words of Rob Thomas…….. I am not afraid of getting older. I am one less day from dying young………….
The time after sunset and before dark, the Gloaming!
There is a time between the light and dark of day, where if you look closely where all things appear to be possible. It is the location in life where the ghosts of daily accomplishments and future possibilities meet.
Did the light of day provide something worthwhile to contemplate? Or were the seeds planted that are going to flourish into the bountiful harvest of tomorrow?
These thoughts arrive in the gloaming as the day resigns its light and accepts the inevitable cover of the night. An ending of one moment, as we all find the rest, we need to face to possibility and new opportunity the new day will bring. Our spirit guides us through this day.
Morning Dawns
The morning light is dancing on the water.
Just as the case with everyone’s life, each day provides an opportunity for creating whatever we choose. We are born at dawn, and as life unfolds for however long our day will last, we design, experience, and love those things we create. The morning is ever hopeful. As light dances on the soft water, so do our dreams and hopes move. We see few limits and move confidently through this time.
Sometimes there are clouds or at least cloudy experiences that darken the sky. Many are just temporary, passing from the sun and memory as quickly as the wind can push them away. Others stay with us like a part of our being throughout our day, an almost permanent black cloud. The morning is an excellent time, full of innocence and possibilities. It can be the most significant part of a person’s day. Yet, the realities of life have not diminished one’s hope and the sight of unlimited potential.
Afternoon Of Realization
Afternoon activity can define your day.
The morning will only last so long, and the midday and the afternoon follow it. The afternoon is a time of great accomplishment. You have the energy and knowledge built up through the beginning of your day, and now you are putting things learned into practice. Moving with the experience gained, we march confidently from task to task, applying our knowing purpose to professional and personal experiences.
It is only as the shadows of the afternoon get long that we start to see we might not have known so much after all. Some of our best-laid plans that showed so much promise have crumbled around our heads — threatening to destroy us. It is like an illusion that existed was suddenly wiped away, leaving something strange in its place. The truth is what is left. These shadows of the afternoon are disheartening and intimidating, and either you will recognize them as mere shadows of fear and move forward with your plans. Or you are going to hide from them with your head in the sand, remembering the good safe times of morning and dreaming of returning to safety. It is not possible, but the mind is full of illusions.
The Evening
The lengthening shadows of evening.
As we move through the evening, there is no longer any fooling ourselves. The day is going to end eventually. It doesn’t matter what you do, where you go, or how you act. The day is going to end permanently. Dusk is a time for reflection, understanding, and to pass along all the valuable lessons that the day has taught to others.
Some might be fearful their decisions are going to come back to haunt them in the coming darkness. Others are accepting of the inevitability of the end of the day and their part in it. It is best not to regret the memory of the day because whatever has transpired is still, in its way, fantastic and magical.
There will never be another day like it ever again. Your part in the activities, small or large, has been vital. Events have flowed from them, like drops of water from melted snow collect to create a mighty river.
These rivers allow our choices to weave their way over land and create a mighty ocean. So your part is significant, and the reality of all things would be different if you didn’t play your role in the day.
The Gloaming Comes
The day will end. There is no escaping it. All we can do is enjoy the light we have.
As you move from the end of the day into the blanket of darkness that is night, there is a final moment of reflection and appreciation. It is a seemingly magical image in time where there is a glimmer of what the day has wrought — memories of the people and events that colored your life dance together, both thrilling and haunting you simultaneously. As you look into the sky, you see a record of these events, but not written in stone. That is the magic of the gloaming, I think, that the activities you remember are only shadows of reality and maybe playing out differently in some other dimension of time.
It is senseless to fear the gloaming of the day because it is merely a mirror image of your creation. Let the night come. It is not an ending. It is only the start of a different time of perceived darkness. As we know, though, the night is not dark. There are starlight and moonlight available to guide you. It is a shadow day, but nothing to be feared. The gloaming of the day is merely the doorway into another world. An inevitable journey that we all are going to take at the end of our day. The light is just on the other side, waiting to greet you and bring you nearly unlimited possibilities.
Get your rest because tomorrow will bring a new tapestry to be woven and a new landscape of possibility.
On Wednesday, November 22, 2017, I began a project with a simple goal. To give an encouraging word to others every day for 30 days. What quickly resulted was a change in my awareness and quickly I saw my consciousness become more of a focus. So then I hoped to raise the consciousness of at least one other person with each word. When I reached 30 days, like Forrest Gump, for no particular reason I kept going. Here I am. It has been 100 days since then and that is 100 words and 100 thought-provoking posts, that I have completed one way or another every day.
In that 100 days, I have managed to maintain my normal schedule and find time to create a post a day. I changed jobs, which led to an entire schedule change but still was able to persevere. People have entered and left my life. So this is a reflection of the project at the 100-day mark. What went well and what could have been better. It deserves serious thought and consideration. I will begin by looking at my thoughts, the corresponding emotions, words and actions that have arisen. Welcome to my journey of consciousness.
My Evolving Consciousness
To me, your consciousness is simply what you are aware of in life. Too many days go by without an acknowledgment of their significance. We move one day to the next, just trudging through life. Hoping to find some distraction from life. Life is the entertainment, not the distraction. Although, I didn’t always see it that way. This project forced me to take a moment every day and set my mind toward something positive. Each thought leads to a corresponding emotion. So if you think of frustrating things you are going to feel frustration, that will lead to words about frustration and of course, you will act on that. The same is true for positive things. They are there for you in every day. If you choose to look for them.
As I looked at the encouraging words for the day, I found them becoming a part of my life. In times where I might have been angry, I was patient and able to maintain a better mental attitude. The focus on the positive things in life became more of my daily outlook. This was a conscious choice each day and it has made a positive difference in my life.
The Power of a Word
It is strange how a word can create a mindset for a day. I started with the word kindness, then moved to encouragement, and through the 100 words. With each consecutive word I wrote about I almost always ran into a situation that day where I could apply the lesson. Each time, I would be consciously aware that the word was showing up in my life. Confidence, choice, forgive and choice all came and went and as each day passed I realized that the person really benefitting from this project was me. I am
Finally, I changed the beginning from “word of the day” to “Raising my Consciousness One Word at a time.” There are others who have read a word here or there and found some thought from it. Others who read every word and write to me to talk about their thoughts on that aspect. All I know for sure is that there is a power in words. They can lift you up and make the life of those around you better as well. It all starts with a thought and that leads to an emotion, the words you speak, and the actions that you take. All from the thought of a word. Awesome.
What can get Better?
Like all projects, there are always things you learn along the way. In this case, I would have kept better track of the words as I went along. At first, I thought the project would only be 30 days, so I didn’t pay close attention, but then as the list got longer, I needed to be careful or the same word would be used again. It is easier than you think. I used the same word twice and wrote totally different ideas about it. On the good side, there were things that I obviously needed to say.
I also would have found a way to share more of the beginning of the project with people and made a clearer agenda of what I was hoping to accomplish. However, if I had done this the project would have only lasted 30 days and would have been called the encouraging word of the day. Much of the good that I have gotten out of this so far, might not have happened. Overall I am happy with the result but there is always room for growth.
How will this grow?
There are a few natural paths for growth here I think. One is to do a weekly podcast on the words of that week. I will publish it on the blog so you can hear my thoughts on the points of interest during the week. Also could include guest appearances from people important to the blog.
Another way to grow the project would be to create a short video for each word that explains my thoughts on how focusing on the positive aspects of that word can help you become more positive in your life. Also, I think that this format could lend itself quite naturally to becoming a book. But that will all be in the future.
Finally, I am grateful to have made it this far, and it really doesn’t seem like a hundred days has gone by. Because when you take it one day at a time, they just start to fly by. I am also grateful for what the project has brought to me, what I have learned and how I have been able to express my thoughts. It has been a great experience to have other people provide their feedback to me and to gain something positive from my little creation themselves. So take a moment each day and really focus your thought on the words you are using in your life and look at the actions that result. Raise your consciousness to the level you want. Be aware of the life happening all around you. It is a pretty good thing. 100 thoughts, 100 words, 100 actions.
“Reflect upon your present blessings of which every man has many not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.” Charles Dickens
“Sometimes, you have to look back in order to understand the things that lie ahead.” ` Yvonne Woon
Life is the most magnificent classroom we will ever find.
learn about or consider any new situation or results leading to learning. With a bit of contemplation, each case brings an opportunity for growth. Take advantage of that chance and become a better version of yourself.
through thoughtful reflection that improvement can come. Even at a job you have been doing for years, and you can do it better. Reflection will show you potential paths for development and growth in all situations.
The Beauty of Darkness
Gloaming
Understanding Fear
