W02 reflection

 In my reading this week of 'Launching Leaders' a few principles really stood out to me.

Complacency and idleness prevent us from reaching our goals. If we are content with where we are at in life and make no effort to change or improve our efforts, we will remain where we are, most likely dissatisfied with the results. 

We must be consistent in all areas of our life. Living by different values at work vs. at home or at church is not a sustainable lifestyle, it's being dishonest to ourselves and others about who we truly are.

In Sheri Dews talk 'True Blue, Through and Through' she speaks on the topic of integrity. She states "Living with integrity isn’t necessarily easy, but it is far easier than the alternative." I believe making the switch to live a life in line with your values will certainly be a challenge at first, as that means saying goodbye to the old version of you. However, living a life of integrity is incredibly rewarding and will provide lasting peace. She continues on by saying "Integrity is the foundational virtue upon which all other virtues are dependent. It is the first rung on the character ladder. Where there is integrity, other virtues will follow. Where there is no integrity, other virtues have no chance of developing."

'It is the first rung on the character ladder.' What other character traits do I want to develop? Integrity is my first step in getting there.

I thoroughly enjoyed the 'Do what you love' video from this weeks study material. What simple, powerful principles he shared in determining what kind of career to have, What do you love doing? What were you born to do, (Personally I read that as what are you good at?) and What can you make money doing? 

All of these are important questions to consider and should be considered collectively. In a discussion recently with my own personal mentor he asked me these same questions and stated that he believed the second one is the most important- What are you good at? I'm at a place right now in life where i'm seeking to discover the answer to that question- what am I good at? I've tried so many things over the years but often grow tired of what i'm learning and want a new challenge. Perhaps I will find many different careers that are fulfilling in different ways. 

In the video Acton Hero by Sharon Mays I love the saying 'Either do it or stop talking about it.' I believe we are all drawn to different things for a reason, and often times this is what we end up talking about. The key here is to make sure that our words turn into actions. How devastating would it be for one to only speak of their dreams their entire life, never discovering their true potentials and passion. Sharon describes feeling 'different' as a child, as she describes her unique interests in science. She explains that when you don't feel like you fit in 'It either breaks you and makes you bitter or it is the thing that makes you stronger.' Sharon obviously demonstrated the later, as she allowed those things to make her stronger.

The key here is she recognized those interests and did something about it. She took the leap and created a life that she is proud of. I hope to be like Sharon, to be 100% authentically me, take the jump, try new things, face my fears and create a life that I can find true happiness and meaning in.