Do you focus on extrinsic markers — academic scores, net worth, social status, job titles?
Social media has added new layers of extrinsic scoring:
How many friends do they have on Facebook?
Who do we know in common through LinkedIn?
How many Twitter followers do they have?
These extrinsic markers, however, only tell one part of a person’s story. They are necessary, but not sufficient.
Recently, Catholics celebrated the feast of Saint Alberto Hurtado, a modern saint born in Chile.
A man ahead of his time in his approach to social issues, Fr. Alberto insisted “injustice cause[d] far more evil than [could] be repaired by charity.”
Today, how do you advocate for integrity and justice?
Do you take upon yourself the hard tasks of reading, analyzing, planning and acting on your choices and plans?
How do you deepen that contemplative look, taking in the whole world and seeing how things truly are?
Remember, as Ellie Wiesel once wrote, “one person of integrity can make a difference.”
Today, make a difference in your life or someone’s life.
Photo courtesy of Carlos Mendez.
Is your love intimate?
Is your love physical?
Does your love defy?
Does your love make you feel ashamed?
Does your love prefer adventure?
Do you feel the spirit that unites?
Eros.
What is the bond?
What do you feel toward family and friends?
Do you feel affection, loyalty and strength?
Is the relationship essential to your well being?
Philia.
What is your passion?
Start defining your passions in life by thinking about other things first! Ask yourself these questions. It’s a good practice to take stock from year to year as there are likely changes of which you must become aware.
What’s my mission?
Have you defined your mission to help you choose a course of action?
What are my strengths, values and skills?
How can I bring my purpose to life?
How do I define the contribution I want to make?
How can I bring that contribution I want to make to life?
How will my purpose be meaningful to others?
What is the solution specific to your skill set that will bring the purpose that is meaningful enough to generate the passion I will need to sustain it?
How will I amplify it?
What will I share and how much?
What do I listen for to be truly engaged, genuine and meaningful?
Remember Shakespeare,
What a piece of work is a man, how noble in reason, how infinite in faculties, in form and moving how express and
admirable, in action how like an Angel, in apprehension how like a God! the beauty of the world, the paragon of animals—and yet, to me, what is this quintessence of dust?
Hamlet, Act II, Scene 2
Affirmations are positive statements to help you overcome self-sabotaging, negative automatic thought or thinking
Use affirmations to help you visualize, strengthen your self confidence and self esteem.
Believe in what you’re affirming to yourself
A daily affirmation will help you to make positive changes to your life and career.
Your daily or weekly reflections serve as tentative explanations.
You can speculate as to why something that you have felt or observed is as it is.
You can derive your explanation from your prayer, something you’ve heard or seen, a book you have read, or your own reservoir of “common sense.”
Your journal allows you to change your mind and see changes in a few months’ time.
For more,Mark Cooper, Reflection: Getting Learning Out of Serving, Florida International University
HeArt+Mindfulness 