In modern Chinese history, there is a famous movement known as the May 4th Movement. It was a shakeup of traditional values and heralded the establishment of modern schools of thought in the new republic of China. I just realize that today is May 4th and I too need to revolutionize my life and shake it up a bit.
I think, slowly, gradually, I realize that I am truly responsible for all that happens to me or around me. No one else can take that responsibility for me. I have witnessed/experienced firsthand how disastrous it is not to be accountable for your life, to always let others to the thinking for you or tell you how to think. It means living life in a very slippery manner, always slipping out at the last minute when trouble arises, letting others take the brunt of it. I despise such living and I do not think highly of it. It also means not confronting your worst fears. Escaping -- it used to be my mode of operation. But at some point, a person has to face the facts squarely, brutally, in its ugliness, in its inescapable existence, one has to wake up no matter what.
My personal May 4th vow is just to be different. Step out of my comfort zone. Open up my mind and my heart and let others in, or I should say, let more people in. I think I've always been somewhat exclusive about who I let into my life and who I keep out. Also to be kinder. It has been brought to my attention that I can be very cold, very standoffish, very arrogant and stuck up. Never mind that these are just perceptions from others, I feel that perhaps to some degree, it's all part of the same package of my personality and my tendency to not "bother" with all things too annoying. So much as I hate to admit it, probably to some degree, it's a true assessment.
Hopefully I will get this "revolution" off to a start and begin proactively reaching out and making more of a difference in the people whose lives intersect mine. And btw, patience is one of the highest virtues and I will say with all humility that I have not yet mastered it.
5 comments:
Viva la Mexico.
I predict this "revolution" will end in exactly 46 hours. (And that's being generous)
Thanks dear, your generosity knows no bounds.
Interestingly, the conversation I had at lunch today with a friend touched on what you discussed in this blog. Mentality is the most important thing and the hardest to change. My friend is taking a training class on 7 Habbits of most effective people. And the foundation of the theory(before you even begin talking about the 7 habits) goes like this: 1. you see things(world, ppl) in a certain way. 2. how you see things determines how you act. 3. how you act determines the end result. The first thing "how you see" is basically your Perception.
If you agree with the 3 steps, then....
Applying this to the message in your blog of "who I let into my life", maybe you see certain people in a certain way and that makes you instinctly shy away from them. You may see them as 1. boring. 2. are dangerous for yourself to get too close to. 3. might advantage of you. etc etc. The list can go on and on. As a result of that perception(before you know them really), you reacted in a certain way - in your case, might discourage them from establishing any kind of substantial relationship with you. and you yourself doesn't try either. So, you have to change your perception first in order to change your own action. This is a paradigm shift. You can think maybe s/he doesn't want anything from me; and even if s/he wants something from me, that's okay too. Because it could be mutually benefitial(even though I can't see it at this moment). Or, you can feel flatterred if someone wants something of you; if nobody wants anything from you, isn't that a rather bad thing? So on and so forth.
But getting into the habit of not fixing your perception is hard - this paradigm shift. But recognizing it is the first step.
And knowing is half the battle.
GGGGGGG IIIIIIIII JOOOOOOOOOEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
Wendy, I've read that book before. It's good...but like many "self-help" books, has faded into obscurity in my mind. Maybe subconsciously I've imbibed some of its lessons, and it's now rearing its head after so many years. I agree about the paradigm shift. What is frustrating to me is when I see the need for change (for instance, in my family and how we communicate) and yet my parents do not.
Jason, glad you still know your GI Joe jingle.
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