Inspiraelevation

A full and rewarding life where one’s subsistence not merely provides sustenance, but lends to a life of substance is the holy grail so sought after . Such is an issue of quality versus quantity.

Quality is  a determinant of abundance, richness and fullness of one’s existence while they remain. Quantity refers to the extensible lot of one’s days.

How one lives out life is a determinant of choice. The summation of those days a mere reflection of an individual’s values.

To live a life of value, one must live life deliberately, setting standards to succeed. A life lived wild and un-tethered produces shallow roots, of a tree, struggling to hold firm to the soil wherein it stands. A vulnerable tree, swayed by every wind, reaching deep to maintain, to remain upright, to not bend or snap, just to  withstand the weathering of time.

The latter should be no man’s quest, but rather to live a life with no regrets. For, Life should never be a dull echo of what if’s.

Considering the  seeds  you are now sowing in thought and deed, are you setting  a standard to succeed.

If you are,  “Your end will be much better than your beginning,”

Standards

A standard is level of quality, that one seeks to attain. It is the yardstick by which one judges what he or she lets enter their lives, heart, or spirit. It is the model, which one replicates, in order to achieve. Standards are what determine your quality of life and essentially the quantity of days.

a person without standards  permits the external world to determine the quality of their life. They are ruled by many.  They are like kingdoms without gates, whose rulers welcome any without rhyme or reason. The result is never plenty, because those who are permitted without standards for entry are like marauders who steal your soul, happiness, strength,and leave you empty.

Set standards and set them high.

Demonstrate the value you have for your life and your desire to succeed. Lower those standards for no one.

You are what  you think , you grow what you feed, you become that you revere, and you are the sum of those whom you endear, your peers.

Only fly with those who don’t desire to clip your wings. Only immerse yourself in things that will bring increase. Refuse to let others leave imprints on your mind with their dirty feet. Look up to those who have character and a desire to succeed. All else you simply do not need.

To everyone a gift is given, an inner voice, a guide. It often goes unnoticed and often pushed aside. It is that small echo in the back of one’s mind, the tiny pull on the heart-strings, that gentle but persistent feeling.  It is what many refer to as the conscience. “…It is the moral law within” (Stephen Covey).

It is God’s voice echoing through our spirits

The Guiding light

Being guided by one’s  conscience leads one to do the right thing,  rather than his or her own thing. It is the voice of reason and wisdom. It is the source of compassion, empathy, and goodness. Conscience is what drives one to do good, and be his or her best self.

Conscience can be over-ridden

The still quiet voice can be, and is often disquieted, at which point self becomes the primary focus, this is what one refers to as a hostile takeover, the ascent of the ego.

The Takeover

 ” Conscience is the still, small voice within. It is quiet. It is peaceful. Ego is tyrannical, despotic and dictatorial.” ( Stephen Covey).

 

When the ego takes over pain and chaos, ensue. There is a hefty price to be paid to be a slave to one’s ego.

The price of a disquieted conscience is a hard heart.

Consistent failure to heed to that small still voice lends to a hardness of heart, a malady difficult to cure and the ultimate precursor to one’s destruction. A person in possession of such a heart closes himself off to all those things that bring about abundance. He or she becomes ruled by the ego.

“Ego can’t sleep. It micromanages. It dis-empowers. It reduces one’s capacity. It excels in control. Conscience deeply reveres people and sees their potential for self-control. Conscience empowers. It reflects the worth and value of all people and affirms their power and freedom to choose” (Stephen Covey) .

The result of such is the loss of the human spirit, that which maketh alive.

  It is not hard to recognize one who has lost the ability to hear the conscience. The symptoms of such are

• bitterness
• greed
• avarice
• hatefulness
• spite
• callousness
• selfishness
• lewdness
• lasciviousness
• Addictions

Such are those without an inner guide or voice. Such run head first into destructive action and deprive themselves of true happiness and any long-term success.

“People who do not live by their conscience will not experience this internal integrity and peace of mind. They will find their ego attempting to control relationships. Even though they might pretend or feign kindness and empathy from time to time, they will use subtle forms of manipulation and will even go so far as to engage in kind but dictatorial behavior” (Stephen Covey).

To free oneself an open oneself up to all of the blessings that life has to offer he or she must be guided by wisdom, an inner light that turns one away from practices and behaviors that destroy.   He or she must be willing to listen to that still small voice and do what is right.

“Conscience often provides the why, vision identifies what you’re trying to accomplish, discipline represents how you’re going to accomplish it, and passion represents the strength of feelings behind the why, the what, and the how” (Stephen Covey)   Always let your conscience be your guide

Covey, S. (2004). The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness. New York: NY, Simon, and Schuster.

We are more than the sum of our individual parts. We are complex, but beautiful in our complexities. Our design is brilliant and intricate. Each and every  body houses a soul, heart, and a mind. We were designed with the capacity and the ability to love, to learn, to  create, and exceed the ordinary. Your sum is greater than your parts. Love all of you not just the part that you see with your human eye. Embrace and care for all of you. Refuse to starve your mind, spirit, soul, or your body. Refuse to let others break you.

Brokenness

Brokenness is  a fragmentation of the whole. To be broken is to be  fractured or to be in possession of a broken heart, spirit, will, or body.

In such, the pieces of your whole no long support your happiness, health, or well-being. The result is apathy, depleted stores of energy, emptiness; essentially zombification.  In such there is an urgency. It is not the end all.

We must strive to put those pieces together.

We must muster everything within us to mend those fragmented pieces of our whole, so that we may grow into the beautiful beings we were designed to be.

Our charge to others

That we love,

We are charged to love others as we love ourselves.

Where is the love.

Perhaps this is the illness that has riddled such plagues upon our world lending to overwhelming brokenness; a dearth of love. Perhaps too  many have given up on the whole and embrace on pieces of themselves.

How can one give what he or she does not possess.

Of all the things that bear the most urgency re-building ourselves is the key to the life of which we all dream.

Showing others love

like the many sides of a diamond we are multifaceted and resplendent in our wholeness.

We must be loved as a whole not as pieces.

Love  them fully as you so desired to be loved. You cannot love or hold a fragment or a piece, to do so will on fracture the rest.

The end of the matter

Embrace your mind, body, and soul. Love all of you.  No matter the extent of  your brokenness love you.

The greatest measure of achievement, is  to have lived, grown, and found meaning in existing and being. This means that our journey has taught us to value, and love ourselves and our experience, and to pass  that on to others that they too may live full lives of mirth.

Dejection is a spirit of sadness which depresses, meaning to bring low;  usually resulting from a feeling of rejection, feeling unseen, or undesired. It is a feeling that many suffer and one that has sent many  brilliant men and women to an early exit from the stage of life.

Dejection, whether it stems from the inner workings of  a man’s consciousness or from  external forces which bends a man’s will and desire lending him to stoop the result is always the same.

At the root of all depression can be found dejection.

For such it will never be about the  outsiders looking in, it is  how an individual see’s the world from the windows of their soul.

This is not an alien concept foreign to the mind of any man or woman. It is an emotional state felt by all but at varying states. It is simply that,   some are able to overcome while others are not. Some have been equipped from birth with a spirit of conquest, the skill set of a conquistador. While, others have been counted blessed to fall under the care of those who teach principles of conquest.

There remain those who remain vulnerable.

Vulnerability-  is defined as an open spirit. Open to feel all the emotion of life, both joy and pain. Therefore, open to feel the fullness of mirth and pain. One may choose to be vulnerable but for many it is not a choice but a raw and open state of emotion ,the leftovers of a deep  rejection.  For such, the wounding words of a callous world cause deep scars.

Vulnerability is not a flaw of nature but  a gift.

Some people simply need help overcoming their pain.

We all are purposed with a meaningful existence. It takes time to find it. When one finds it they will see that purpose will outweigh the pain.  Things can and do get better. Never underestimate a persons pain. Sometime hope can be hid beneath layers of pain. It is not for us to judge, but to love.

Some people need a little extra love, and a little extra affection. Some people need positive deposits into their lives, because they are living bankrupt lives. Too much has been withdrawn and they are spent.

It is imperative that we surround ourselves with good, and remove negative influences and relationships. Its important that we associate with those who build  up and not tear you down. Its important that we take care in who we let in our heart and who we let whisper in your ears.

We who are purposed. We who are strong. We must bear the infirmities of those weak in spirit. No man should ever feel alone. We must be the change we wish to see in the world. It is my hope that you succeed, achieve, that you prosper, that you live.

To be significant is to have meaning.

Significance indicates a fullness of purpose.

For some, there is a deep an abiding force driving them to be, give, and do all they can. There is a call to fully empty themselves for something outside of their persons. This is a call to significance, a call to reach beyond the gulf of individual desire and need.

 

Living a life of significance means leaving the world with more than when you entered it. It is to be a light,  a guiding force, an influence, a healer. It is to be impactful, to use all you have to be a gift, not always a recipient.

The rewards are far beyond any material success that one could envision.

1. Are you reaching for success or significance?
2. Does it make a difference?

Success is not synonymous with significance. One can be successful in his or her own right but never become significant in any manner.

Success is individualistic and personal, as it is confined to individual achievement and motives.

In fact, for the vast majority, success is often described as recognition, material gain, fame, or fortune. Opulence is typically the reward sought.

Opulence, which is referred to amassing large amounts of material gains, is the platinum standard of success.

However, opulence does not equate to significance. They are not the same.

Opulence can bring about the opposite effect of significance. Opulence can rend the soul leaving in its wake a gaping hole.

One can accumulate more material gains than imaginable and never change a life. One can have reached the pinnacles of the corporate world and never brought about a smile.  One could amass fame beyond imagination and never made one significant stride. The fact of the matter is;

 

However,  finding significance or being significant is much richer. It leaves the imprint of a man’s heart and voice on the world.

How can one be significant?

There are many ways of being significant. The core of being significant is to live a life of purpose. Look to see what it is that you can contribute to the world.

In this world, we only have one life to live, so we should live it well. It should be our mission to leave the world a better place for the others who will inhabit it after us.

Nurture a desire for more than individual success, nurture a desire to leave a beautiful legacy that stretches beyond the horizon.

Strive to live a life of significance.

One Life to live, live it well