Personal Learning and Growth Curve

 

What do people and organizations learning and growing through proficiency have in common with a mild steel bar under tension? A lot, actually! A Learning Curve is the graphical representation of the relationship between how proficient some one is in a particular skill, against their experience over time. The Personal Learning and Growth curve of people and organizations mimics the stress-strain curve of a mild steel bar subjected to a tension test. 

The initial capacity of a steel bar to take on tensile stress (force per unit area) is high and has a steep Modulus of Elasticity, or slope of the curve. The steel is elastic in this initial range, and any tension it takes, and the corresponding strain (change in length per unit length) can be recovered fully once the source of tension is removed. This is similar to how a person or an organization grows very quickly and learns and absorbs new knowledge at a rapid pace in the early stages of life. However, there comes a time where the steel bar attains its Upper Yield Point (or upper yield strength) at which point it goes into a state of free fall with more strain and is left with permanent residual strain. There comes a point in the life of an individual or an organization when they reach a point of saturation and cannot learn or absorb any more knowledge in a linear fashion, a crisis occurs that diminishes their ability to learn or grow, and they are left with permanent scars (residual strain). Once the steel bar stabilizes in the yield zone and reaches the Lower Yield Pont (or lower yield strength) it is again able to take on more stress, however, it is at a much smaller gradient and with residual strain. If the force is removed at any point during this stage, the steel bar will have some permanent elongation left even after all stress is removed. 

Human beings are ductile (with the ability to absorb stresses of life) in a similar fashion, their ability to learn and grow, though seriously diminished after the yield zone or life crisis, still continues to grow till it peaks. At that point, if they do not reinvent themselves and start a new learning and growth curve, they will yield under the strain and break apart without a new force driving them into a new area of growth. The size of the curve decreases with every iteration, however, its shape and impact does not change! Would you like to grow with me?

Through the Lens of Time!

 

Recently I stumbled upon my first speech for the Toastmasters Club written twenty five years ago. I was invited to speak at an international conference in January 1996  with an audience of three to four hundred delegates. I had no public speaking experience at that point. Toastmasters was the organization that helps you develop public speaking skills, and that is who I turned to to hone my skills. Here is the text of that first speech:

"My Life, Hopes and Dreams" (Sarah Haider - Nov. 1995)

While getting ready to come to work this morning, I stood in front of the mirror and paused for a moment, I stared in the eyes of the person in the mirror. I could see my life, my hopes and aspirations, and where my dreams had led me over time. I have come a long way, strong in my belief that my dreams would come true, and working to make them a reality.

Being the second of four children, born in a middle-class Pakistani family, my dreams probably were out of context with the realities of my life. My parents gave us the values of honesty, morality, and respect for other human beings, but life for us growing up was a constant struggle for survival. Despite their financial hardships, my parents strove to provide us with the best of education. Growing up I read a story that made a great impact on my thought process.

Myth has it that there was a scholar in Persia who was very poor. He did not have the money to buy himself a pair of shoes, so he would walk to school barefoot through a busy thoroughfare. On his way he used to pass by a wine-maker's shop, and the shopkeeper would often make fun of his plight. He would say, "give me your books, I'll put them in a barrel in my cellar and let them ferment; after a few years you'll get some great tasting wine". 

The scholar ignored his mocking remarks and went on with his pursuit of knowledge. After several years he was recognized for his wisdom and appointed the Chief Advisor to the king of Persia. One day he happened to pass by the same wine shop and stopped to see the owner. He told him, "I put my books in a barrel as you advised and let it all ferment for years..... see what tasty wine I have got?"

When I was in my junior year of college and looking to apply to US schools for my Master's degree, my sister used to tell me that I was chasing wild dreams. There was no way I could afford even the plane ticket, let alone pay for tuition even if I did get admitted. But I went on believing in my dream and got an offer of admission with a fellowship, all expenses paid, from Rice University in Houston. I just never thought it was impossible!

Another thing that played an important role, and proved almost a turning point in my life was a quote that I encountered when I was seventeen:

"Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life"   (Confucius)

Every time I read this quote it made me think of what I wanted to do for a living. I chose to be an engineer because I enjoyed building things and solving problems. I believed in seeking practical solutions and somehow being an engineer seemed to be the logical answer to fulfill this desire.

On the personal front as well, I have been a dreamer!

"The poor man is not he who is without a cent, but he who is without a dream"   (Harry Kemp).

In pursuing my dreams of a happy life, I have come across some harsh experiences as well. I have yet to find someone that I would like to share the rest of my life with: someone who shares my ideas and believes in my dreams. Perhaps I have been playing it too safe here but I cannot afford to take too many risks on this front.

As I look upon the future I want to see myself grow both personally and professionally. In another five years I want to be happily married, have children and have obtained my Professional Engineer license. I would also like to see myself move into a Project Management career path. Toastmasters is my launch pad for achieving the future goals I have set for myself. 

People are an important element in my life. Sharing is a crucial ingredient in my world. It is this spirit of working for the common good that prompted me to participate in teaching Sunday school at the local mosque, organizing community activities, and working with the Society of Women Engineers. 

"Giving and receiving are equal partners, each contributing joys to the human heart"   (Yours Truly)

Giving to others brings the satisfaction of knowing we have helped someone or made them happy. I am always eager to help, who knows that one kindness on my part may change the other person's life. Receiving brings its own joy in knowing that you are loved and someone cares about you to bring you a thoughtful gift or touches your heart with a kind gesture.

I feel I am quite satisfied with my life so far but still have a long way to go. I started off with the dream of making a difference in the world, however humble, and build a fulfilling life for me. I always hoped to get a good education, and wanted a career that I would be able to enjoy. Having achieved that I now want to broaden my horizons, focus on developing the person within to become a more sensitive, productive and a useful member of the community at large. Who knows where my dreams would lead me in another ten years, but right now I need to get real and work to make them come true.

It was fascinating to read this 25 years after I wrote it, and now reflecting on the hopes and dreams I had expressed half a lifetime ago! It is interesting to note that I have remained true to most of what I set out to achieve in life, some things took longer than 5 years, though. My motto in life has always been:

"Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life" (Confucius)

On the professional front, it took me 6 years to get my Professional Engineer license and an MBA and 10 years to get to Project Management as a career. It took me another 10 years to learn that if I wanted such a job, I had to create it, no one was going to give it to me! After a 20 year career in Engineering, Project Management and Management Consulting, I took a sabbatical for life and pivoted to building bridges of the human variety, "Engineering a Cure for Hate". My work in the fields of adoption and foster care, and subsequently in the interfaith domain with the Sisterhood of Salaam Shalom, building bridges of understanding and waging peace, is where I find fulfillment and a strong sense of purpose. Incidentally, the two themes that have emerged in my life's work are faith and children, and building community is the way I serve my mission. 

On the personal front, in the 5 years following this writing, I did get married, but did not have children yet. That was another journey through infertility and adoption spread over the next seven years. Now, my children are 16 and 13, and I have grown step children who are every bit a part of my heart! So, you see, our hopes and dreams, our beliefs and values shape our life, and if we stay true to our mission, we can achieve the most meaningful results, even if the timing varies a bit due to external circumstances.

This is a poem I had written more than 30 years ago which has become the charter for my life, and I am very thankful that God has granted me the courage to make it happen!

IF GOD GIVES ME THE COURAGE

Where thoughts are policed,

Where people are sold

Just think this is the world,

That we live in. 

With hearts full of malice

We meet each other

Where flowers of duplicity

Bloom in abundance.

We lament of misfortune,

And do so frequently,

Incapable of any action

We keep blaming the world.

The shackles of slavery

Enslave our hearts

We fear the world

Suffering a thousand evils. 

I will create a better world

Than the one we have now

Wake others with my message

Of leadership for action.....

I will clear the hearts of jealousy

And sow the seeds of love!

I will change this misfortune

Through my own actions. 

... I will break down

The walls that separate,

With the love in my heart

If God grants me the courage,

I will accomplish the impossible!

Picture Credit: Nazli Chaudhry 

 

Perspective - Coming Full Circle

It is after a while that I am returning to contribute to this blog, and what a major life transformation has occurred in this time frame. I would be dishonest if I did not acknowledge that the previous posts were directed outward, whereas the flavor of this post is more introspective. I have learned quite a few life lessons in the past few years and would like to share some of them here. 

Life is a culmination of experiences and the choices we make, no step of that journey is wasted, although, upon reflection, we learn some valuable lessons on how we could have handled certain situations better than we did. Talk about coming full circle to the point where we started: 

"We must not cease from exploration. And the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we began and to know the place for the first time". ~ T.S. Eliot 

I can honestly say that I have arrived where I began and am seeing the place for the first time! Often we have to look at life with new lenses to see the things we had been unable to see because familiarity obscured them from our view. Over the years we make compromises, and they lead us on paths we would not have followed had we stayed true to our values and principles. It is like being woken from a slumber, a lulling of the consciousness in the interest of keeping peace, in the name of expediency, then coming to the realization that you don't even know that person any more.

'Twas grief enough to think mankind 
All hollow servile insincere 
But worse to trust to my own mind 
And find the same corruption there 
~ Emily Bronte 

So, where do we start, and where do we end: this journey is a function of our conscious resolve to lead life from our core values, to experience the journey with new, mindful eyes, an open spirit and aware soul. Life is beautiful, once we learn to appreciate the bountiful gifts that are ours to claim if we allow ourselves to BE one with God rather that be constrained by the demands and expectations of the lesser beings. The journey to soulful spirituality is an exhilarating experience!

If it is to be, it is up to me!

Throughout my life I have been a person who is compassionate and kind to others but I have not always extended the same courtesy to myself. Over the past 10 years I have come to learn the hard way that:

"If it is to be, it is up to me", The Neal Whitten Group, Inc.

In 2006 I attended a keynote by Neal Whitten at the PMI North America Congress in Seattle, WA. That conference was my birthday gift to myself and it turned out to be a significant episode of SLIDING DOORS for me. I came back from the conference a different person! And I realized that this person and the life that I had been living prior were incompatible. Slowly but surely, I started taking ownership and responsibility for my life and even though I went through a lot of pain and aggravation in the process, I have never needed to regret those necessary stages of growth! Through the struggles with infertility, building a family, divorce, lay offs, I was able to emerge and rise like a Phoenix from the ashes of the past. So this is what it feels like to be a Phoenix, COOL!

My signature work professionally is "From Silos to Enterprise Project Management"! When I shared this presentation with Neal Whitten, he asked me what I wanted to do with it. At the time I did not understand the depth of that question, but now I do;-) I needed to build my life with it, not just write a paper, Mr. Whitten! 

Fork in the Road of Life

As we navigate our journey on the road of life, we sometimes come to a fork. The path we choose becomes a pivot that significantly shapes the rest of our life, and even our next journey, beyond life. As I was contemplating writing a post on this subject, I heard from a friend whose "Uncle Bob" passed away over the weekend; she was the one who held his hand and comforted him as his spirit left his body. She feels called to serve as people embrace death, something many people dread.

What makes us choose one path over the other? What would you do when faced with a "significant decision" that could potentially alter the course of your life? A few of such significant decisions are selecting the career to pursue, making a career change, whether to stay in your home town or move, whether to buy a house now or not, whether to get married to a certain person or not! In those moments we need to pause and reflect on the pros and cons of all the potential choices, and then make a conscious decision to choose the path that leads to a more courageous outcome.

When we take the road less traveled, it can also lead to rewards not many have found or partaken in, because they chose to follow precedent and convention instead of daring greatly. Taking the road less traveled, when faced with a fork in the road, can mean the difference between distinction and mediocrity. What spells stability for one may mean boredom for another. Choosing a path that resonates with your soul is more important than staying trapped in the fear of making the wrong choice. Any decision that you learn and grow from, is a significant milestone in the journey of life, so long as you continue to evolve, no step is wasted.

What makes you a "Trusted Adviser"?

"Trust is the confident reliance on someone when you are in a position of vulnerability.”

Dr. Robert F. Hurley

It is early Tuesday morning and you find yourself in a bind, who are you going to call? Is that person your spouse, boss, friend, business associate, child, or someone else? Ponder for a moment who your "GO TO PERSON" is when you need help. All of us hopefully have a few people we can call on, no matter what, and know that they will be there to help us solve the problem at hand, or, at the very least, offer a kind word or a shoulder to cry on, depending on the nature of the vulnerability. 

In business, small businesses in particular are run by sole proprietors, who don't have a team of advisers, often don't even have a formal Board of Directors, and they may not have any staff, either, that they can "bounce ideas off of". In those circumstances, it is increasingly important to network and surround yourself with people who you can trust and call on when you need to make an important business decision in a timely manner. A trusted adviser is someone you can call on knowing that you can rely on that advice in the time of need, someone you can be sure will be there to help you solve the problem at hand, brainstorming with you, exchange ideas and strategies, remind you of your own abilities and options, review the pros and cons of all options, and counsel you for the best course of action, and stand by you as you confidently move forward and produce the desired results. This is the person you can call on and be assured that they are invested in your success.

Many small businesses outsource their Payroll, Accounting, Human Resources, and other back office functions. However, you cannot always delegate or outsource when you need critical business advise, you need a relationship based on trust to know that the adviser understands you, your business as well as your constraints, and will offer their best counsel to help you achieve success. Make an effort to cultivate relationships that lead to connections who you can count on when in a position of vulnerability and challenge, so you can confidently chart your course through it. Can you be that person to someone in your network? What would prevent you from being so?

Developing a Personal Brand Through Social Networking

Social Networking is a concept which has taken the business world by storm in recent years, although it has always been the way most business gets done in the world! People do business with people they can relate to and trust. 

Check out the attached link for what constitutes social networking:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_networks 

I look at the social network as a constellation, a collection of stars in the galaxy! Every one of us knows a lot of people in their sphere of influence, the value is in "connecting the dots" on their horizon and leveraging them by offering and receiving value for the connection. 

LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and some of the other social networking sites have become the common platform for professionals as well as people from all walks of life, and the primary means for communication in some cases. The concept of personal branding gains even more emphasis when you are talking about professional networking through LinkedIn and similar professional networking sites. It is your resume online, complete with references and recommendations - your digital footprint!

Use of digital media for networking may be a recent phenomenon in the 21st century but networking certainly is not. Connecting with people, developing long-term relationships, servant leadership, and value delivery are concepts that transcend the present time. They have always been the way business gets done around the world. It's not only what you know but who you know that matters~ If anything, they have been brought into sharper focus by the present market conditions, and in a shrinking pool, people stick with people they can trust to deliver!

So, how do you go about building a social network that offers value first? Simply by doing it, one meaningful relationship at a time. Take the time to put yourself in situations that expose you to other people, such as in professional or community organizations working towards a common cause is a good place to start. Volunteering your time and energy for a cause, offering knowledge and value to others, offering a helping hand, guiding someone to build their career, life, and image, listening with empathy, are all good ways of building your personal network as well as brand. "How are you known in the world?" The answer to this question is the key to your networking success, and defines your personal brand.

International Women's Day - Inspiring Woman

Who comes to mind as a source of inspiration when you think of International Women's Day and the women who have inspired you to become a better woman and have made a difference in your life? I would like to dedicate this post to a very special lady, who made a significant difference in my life, in what proved the be the last year of her life! Suzy Bell Raymond, born August 11, 1933, was an incredible lady, who touched my life in a very meaningful manner when she came into my life. She was born in Mexico and was a volunteer teacher at Lone Star College, Cy-Fair, for English as a Second Language. My Au-Pair Andrea was her student at  the college and they forged an unlikely bond and friendship, the benefits of which spilled over in my life and I had the good fortune of getting to befriend Mrs. Raymond in the process.

Before I go any further, I would like to say, I am thankful that Ms. Suzy came into my life at a time when I needed inspiration, when I needed to be reminded that life is beautiful and if there are any hardships, they are temporary and I have the capacity to overcome them with faith, grace and determination. She shared her love of life and wisdom so freely and beautifully, and inspired me to think that I want to be this alive and graceful when I get to 80! She was born in Mexico and came to US as a teenager, she was an incredible mother to four wonderful children and a grandmother and friend to all her grand kids. She was a teacher to thousands of students, and she taught them so much more than English!

So on this occasion, I would like to summarize some of my lessons learned from my interaction with Ms. Suzy:

1. Celebrate life, be joyful, spread cheer and sunshine wherever you go.
2. Always be thankful for all the blessings in life.
3. Family is not only blood, the best of relationships are the relations of the heart.
4. Live every day, and make it count, do not wish it away.
5. Know who you are, and believe in what you can become.
6. Always make your children your priority, they are the source of your greatest joy.
7. Share your love with those around you, and you will always be surrounded by love.
8. Being open and generous in spirit opens the gates of abundance for you.
9. Be present in the moment, take the time to live, not just pass through life.
10. Always tell those you love that you do, and show you care......

And when I visited her just days before she passed away, she was going through treatment for brain cancer, having fought her way against all odds to be home to celebrate her 80th birthday with her family and friends. She told me how much she enjoyed the times we had spent together and thanked me for stopping by, not once mentioning how miserable she felt going through all the ups and downs of life. She was an inspiration, a beacon of light, and a great role model, I hope I grow up to be like you, miss Suzy!

The Circle Of Life

"We must not cease from exploration. And the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we began and to know the place for the first time". ~ T.S. Eliot

Life is a journey to be savored, not a destination to arrive at; the learnings and lessons are in the process, not in the final "treasure to be found at a certain place". The journey of self discovery is the most poignant experience of our lives, if undertaken with sincerity, honesty and openness. We start our lives as babies, helpless and dependent on our parents for the smallest of our needs. As young adults most people struggle with their own identity and seek to establish their own place in life, often vowing to be different from their parents. Although apparently rooted in defiance, it is a healthy sign of independence that spurs us to take responsibility for charting our own course through life. 

Our perspective changes as we mature, and we realize that complete independence only gets us so far, and we learn to be interdependent with others through life. This is when we come full circle and realize that running from our past and heritage does not bring us fulfilment, as we are denying parts of our selves that are inalienable. With maturity and humility comes the desire to discover oneself as an integrated whole, rather than focus on separate pieces of ourselves. We learn to accept and embrace our past, present and future, and recognize that we are at a certain point in life because that is how we have shaped our life to be, both by virtue of our history, and our conscious acts of will.

"There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you yourself have altered." ~ Nelson Mandela

Self-Directed Career Development

In the corporate environment of the 21st century, the successful professionals have some very distinct characteristics:

* They have the quality of "Interdependence": they are independently motivated, and widely connected through personal and professional networking relationships.

* They are focused on developing their leadership and communication skills and empowering those around them.

* They create a learning environment and a growth oriented organizational culture, leading to adaptive, successful and productive organizations.

In order to attract and retain such independent and capable employees, organizations must develop a culture of growth and agility and position themselves to meet the challenges of a highly competitive global market.

“If it is to be, it is up to me” – Neal Whitten

"Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work." – Thomas Edison

“Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life” - Confucius

When we talk of self-directed career development, it is important to realize that career development is not something that happens to you, it is what you make of life! A career development plan is a written listing of the short- and long-term goals of a worker pertaining to the current and future jobs. It is a planned sequence of formal and informal experiences to assist the worker in achieving their goals - should be linked to the person’s potential. Career development plans are usually optional; but employers should encourage that all employees develop them, so that their long-term career expectations are realistic and in line with their industry and company's objectives.

Working through your life and career without a plan is like driving around town without a map, or a destination in mind. Drifting through life is not an option in these times of severe global competition, economic uncertainty and shifting geopolitical forces. We have to be cognizant of our direction and focus and make conscious choices for laying the foundation of the rest of our personal and professional life! A self-directed career development plan is the roadmap to success!

The Challenge of Leadership

"Leadership is the conviction to chart new territory, the vision to create a path to success and the compassion to help others along the way." - Sarah Haider

Turbulent times call for a higher level of leadership than calmer times. The winds of change often upset the delicate balance of "comfort zones" and tend to separate the leaders from the followers, or worse, complainers!  Leading in turbulent times is the challenge of the day - how you model your behavior to paint the vision and inspire your team against all odds determines your mettle as a leader. The tragic events of the world have also been catalysts to bringing forth great leaders among us, in recent history, the aftermath of of 9/11, and the way Mayor Rudy Guiliani handled that crisis separated him from the mayors of thousands of other cities:

http://www.schulersolutions.com/change_leadership_lessons_of_r.html

By contrast you have the words and action of Mayor Ray Nagin of New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005:

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/08/24/60minutes/main1933092.shtml

How do you think history will remember Guiliani or Nagin? One rises to the challenge of leadership, the other is looking for excuses for why things are the way they are!

"The price of greatness is responsibility" - Winston Churchill

Creating a Life Worth Living

How do you keep your balance in this day and age of tight budgets, uncertain economy, and ever increasing demands of career and life? By taking responsibility for your life, taking stock of what occupies your time and energy and consciously re-allocating them to the things that matter most, you can create a life truly worth living! It is true that we make time for what is important to us; we have the ability to choose our priorities. Living a balanced and fulfilling life is the result of aligning our priorities with our deepest values and choosing our actions accordingly, rather than merely reacting to what happens to us on a daily basis. It is about drafting a plan of action for life, and then living out that plan according to the guiding principles and objectives that form its foundation.

A lot has been said and written about the importance of managing your time, setting goals and priorities. These are good techniques on how to go about making the best use of your resources, but miss one important ingredient: the WHY of doing them! Life is not a random happening; we are on this earth for a finite amount of time for a reason. A life well lived is one that leaves the world a little better than before. When we are motivated by our deepest values and core beliefs, we are able to take a long-range view of life as a marathon rather than a series of sprints in random directions. By actively defining our values and focusing on the ultimate goal, namely leaving the world a better place, we are able to make small changes that lead to great contributions. Mother Teresa said, “We can do no great things, only small things with great love”.

When you go about the business of living with a desire to create a life that makes a positive difference in the lives of others around you, no step of that journey is wasted! The life plan is our vision of what we want our life to be, what lessons we want to impart to people we have the fortune to teach, how we want to be remembered by the world when we are gone. Living day to day is like driving a car, and your life plan is the road map to get from the point of origin to your destination. When you are going in cruise control on a straight road, you still have to keep your hands on the steering wheel to make sure you stay on the road. If we cannot let go of the steering wheel of a car, how can we let go of the direction of our life? There will inevitably be speed bumps, bends, twists and roadblocks along the way. We will be sure to end up by the wayside if we are not carefully maneuvering our way to stay on course. In life, as in driving, it is important to remember that in order to achieve our overall objective; we have to pay attention to the short-term and immediate needs as a means to an end and not an end in themselves. If you hit a speed bump, or someone cuts you off on the road of life, you should not abandon the course, rather remember the reason you are on the road in the first place and focus your attention on achieving it.

In his book, “Man's Search for Meaning”, Victor Frankl states "Ultimately, man should not ask what the meaning of his life is, but rather must recognize that it is he who is asked. In a word, each man is questioned by life; and he can only answer to life by answering for his own life; to life he can only respond by being responsible." (p.172). Too often we get bogged down with pondering on the purpose of life without realizing that the answer is not an obscure theory, it is a tangible reality that we help shape every day of our lives. Different religions offer their own versions of the purpose of human existence, the glory of God, the service of people, suffering and humility being the most prominent ones. It is important to recognize that your life cannot be a function of something outside of your mind and soul; it has to be at the very core of your heart. By actively shaping your vision of life you create a personal, real and tangible plan upon which you build your life.

In order to create a balanced and fulfilling life, we need to strike a balance among the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual aspects of our lives. Taking care of your health and physical well-being is paramount in leading a positive life. When you take the time to nourish your body and improve your health, you are building your capacity for a fulfilling life. If you want to weather the storms of life safely, you have to make yourself strong enough to withstand the storms! However, too much focus on the physical can lead to unhealthy obsessions about it without realizing that it is not an end in itself, rather a means to an end. The body is the vehicle for the spirit, the person within. The quality of a life is measured in the value of its relationships. Nurturing the relationships in your life is the best investment in your emotional health and well-being. Human beings have an innate need to be heard, and when you make the time to hear someone out, to understand them and empathize with them, you build bonds that last a lifetime and enrich both lives. Acknowledging all of our feelings, accepting our need for social bonding and developing caring and mutually nurturing relationships with our loved ones and the world at large helps us develop a healthy and positive self-image feeding our emotional needs.

The way to continuous personal growth is through learning, stretching and developing our mental capacities. We develop and expand our horizons by reading, sharing, listening and learning. Opening ourselves up to the possibility of growth is an important first step in our mental development; we have the opportunity to learn from experiences large and small if we are willing to look at things in a different perspective. All the personal development can be an exercise in futility if we cannot see a greater purpose to our actions, a cause larger than our self. The essence of spirituality is the pursuit of good beyond our immediate person. When you reach out to help a fellow human being in distress, when you go out of your way to be kind, sympathetic, helpful, and supportive to another human being without thinking “what’s in it for me”, you rise above personal gain for a greater cause. Reaching out beyond yourself to play a positive role in the community creates a spiritual connection and develops bonds with others in the pursuit of a greater goal. This spirit of shared purpose is what nourishes our soul in its spiritual development.

When we develop a conscious awareness of our priorities and develop a “plan of action” for life in line with our values, we are well on our way to creating a life worth living. It is my firm belief that no experience in life is wasted if we absorb the lesson it teaches and use it to mold the rest of our life. Life is a series of experiences that are linked together by the conscious desire to create a larger, more meaningful impact. Like the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, each piece may not represent anything of significance, but all pieces are vital in creating the greater picture which is unique in its beauty and significance.

Building Bridges

Walking through the sands of life
One day, I looked back
And was heartened to see
That my footprints
Were not lost in the sand
Who knows when someone
Following in my footsteps
May find their destination
And I may be redeemed. 

Life is like walking through a thick jungle, and often you are looking for light to get to your destination. Sometimes you come to a clearing and get excited that you are getting close to your destination, only to find out, it is a clearing around a body of water. If the body of water is a small puddle, you can jump over it, if it is a pond, you can go around it and continue on your journey through life. If it is a larger body of water, you cannot go around it so easily. When encountered with a raging river you are faced with several choices in your quest to continue your journey:

1. Turn around and go back where you came from,
2. Pace up and down the bank and stay stuck there,
3. Build a house and make a life at the river bank,
4. Swim across against the current,
5. Build a boat or raft to cross the river, or
6. Build a bridge to get across the river!

All of these choices require progressively greater effort, but also yield progressively greater rewards. I choose to build a bridge, so the lessons I have learned through life are not lost. And today I am happy to see that we have been able to help others on a similar journey get to their destinations faster because they don't have to start from scratch and re-invent the wheel! They can benefit from the work of others who have gone before them and left markers and bridges to make their journey easier.