Considering the Path
The creation of a thousand forests lies in one acorn. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
A little seedling for thought. I wonder sometimes what makes men and women great, and it occurs to me that one shared quality is that generally, none of them set out to be 'great'. Nor do many of them set out to do 'great things'. Upon reflection, what defines great men and women is that they set out to do something, and they do it with care and intention, and often with passion. Usually, they don't set out to change the world, but simply by being a shining example of showing up and digging in, they manage somehow to do it.
Sometimes what they do is brave (like Mandela), sometimes it's compassionate (like Mother Teresa), sometimes it's simply so compelling they would never be complete without it (Michelangelo comes to mind).
All of them inspire us, but one can't be inspiring by thinking about doing something. You actually have to do it.
(Yep, this is one I apparently need to pay attention to myself right now - not enough pages recently to meet my goals. On the flip side, I have written something almost everyday, so I'll pat myself on the back with one hand, and give myself a little lecture with the other.)
It's Friday, and I've posted every day since the end of last year. (I guess that will sound slightly more impressive come July, but it's a start!) First steps can be the most powerful ones.
"Put one foot in front of the other." So says the Winter Warlock from Santa Claus is Coming to Town. He's definitely got something there.
A little seedling for thought. I wonder sometimes what makes men and women great, and it occurs to me that one shared quality is that generally, none of them set out to be 'great'. Nor do many of them set out to do 'great things'. Upon reflection, what defines great men and women is that they set out to do something, and they do it with care and intention, and often with passion. Usually, they don't set out to change the world, but simply by being a shining example of showing up and digging in, they manage somehow to do it.
Sometimes what they do is brave (like Mandela), sometimes it's compassionate (like Mother Teresa), sometimes it's simply so compelling they would never be complete without it (Michelangelo comes to mind).
All of them inspire us, but one can't be inspiring by thinking about doing something. You actually have to do it.
(Yep, this is one I apparently need to pay attention to myself right now - not enough pages recently to meet my goals. On the flip side, I have written something almost everyday, so I'll pat myself on the back with one hand, and give myself a little lecture with the other.)
It's Friday, and I've posted every day since the end of last year. (I guess that will sound slightly more impressive come July, but it's a start!) First steps can be the most powerful ones.
"Put one foot in front of the other." So says the Winter Warlock from Santa Claus is Coming to Town. He's definitely got something there.
posted by bobbi at 11:52 PM
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