I listened to this 6-min podcast while commuting this morning and it was so profound that I listened to it twice! And will probably replay it many more times. This is going down as one of my favourite podcast episodes of all time.
I was so inspired by it that I felt compelled to write a blog post so here it is.
“Be yourself. Everyone else is already taken.”
~ Oscar Wilde ~
These days, we have so much pressure to conform to what society tells us we should be. How we should behave, speak, dress and even how we should live our lives.
Dream your own dreams and run your own race. Don’t force yourself to do things you don’t feel like doing unless its contributes towards the bigger picture of the goals you are trying to achieve. Don’t let the naysayers convince you that your dreams are impossible and unrealistic. Prove them wrong and show them that you can.
As Robin puts it, “… talk your talk, walk your walk. Take the time to reflect on your dream. Be true to your own values because life’s greatest heartbreak is self-betrayal.“
“Health is the crown on the well person’s head that only the ill person can see.”
I have personally learnt this lesson the hard way many times over. Health, truly is, wealth.
Don’t ever take your health for granted, especially so when you are young and in peak condition. Neglect your health now and you may find yourself spending the best days of your life trying to regain your health. No one wants to spend their ‘golden years’ and all their accumulated wealth trying to undo the damage of decades of stress, junk food, lack of sleep and exercise. Rather, make time to consistently invest in your well-being. Get sufficient sleep, sunlight, exercise, nutritious food and develop quality relationships with people you love and you will enjoy your health and life free of worries and regret.
“They tried to bury us…
They didn’t know we were seeds.”
~ Mexican Proverb ~
Everyone suffers. Everyone encounters obstacles along their path of life. Everyone gets ‘buried’ by someone or something. Your reaction to these situations determines your ability to grow from them and become a better human being.
“Sometimes life will send you things that knock you down. Sometimes people will try to bury you. Sometimes experiences will happen that will shatter you. To the person thinking like a victim, those things bury us. They keep us stuck in the past. They destroy us. To the person thinking like a leader, like an A performer, like an iconic producer, those things are seeds. They will actually serve to fuel our growth.
I mean, the things that cause us to suffer can also open our hearts. The things that hurt us the most, can also allow us to relate more to people. The things that are most difficult can also breed bravery. The things that are unexpected will also allow us to have faith in our future. Take the times and the value of difficulty and use them to transform you and use them to serve you on your rise to your next level of greatness.”
“Spring has passed. Summer has gone. Winter is here… and the song that I meant to sing remains unsung. For I have spent my days stringing and unstringing my instrument.”
~ Rabindranath Tagore ~
How many of us are busy being busy?
How many times have we given the excuse that “we’re too busy” to do this or that. That we’ve always wanted to do something but was too “busy” with more “important” things and did not have time.
Spend your time wisely, its your most precious asset and commodity. Use it on productive pursuits that keep you on your path of your life’s purpose and mission.
“That poem was about a man who got busy being busy. He was always stringing his instrument and so the great song that his life was meant to be, remained unsung. I guess the lesson for you and me in this Mastery Session is simply this: focus your days, focus your time, focus your focus on the few priorities that will create a life that at the end, you believe will be legendary.“
“When you were born, you cried while the world rejoiced.
Live your life in such a way that when you die, the world cries while you rejoice.”
~ Rabindranath Tagore ~
I believe that a fulfilling life is one that uses your gifts, strengths and talents to contribute towards positive change in the world around us. To a cause greater than ourselves. To the betterment of society and a legacy of service.
“… to lead is to serve, to win is to be helpful. Nothing matters more than your impact on humanity. At the end of your life, I don’t think your life is going to be measured in terms of success by how much money you made, the cars you drove, the status you held, the home you lived in. I truly believe what will matter most when you’re on your death bed, will be were you an instrument of service to as many people as possible. If that’s going to matter most at the end, my invitation is for you to make it matter most right now.”
– Robin Sharma
JT 
Dear Mr. Sharma,
Reading through your 5 inspiring quotes, I noticed that reference was made to a short poem that said,
“they tried to burry us but they did not know we are seeds” as having Mexican origin. Kindly note this poem was written in 1978 by a Greek poet named Nick Christianopoulos and is part of a cluster of poems, “The body and the serpent”. It had been translated into several languages, and in 1995 it was included in a collection published by Odysseus publications in English translation by Nicholas Kostis. It also appears in the collective edition of Christianopoulos poems in 1998 from the editions Diagonios, while it was finally recorded in the “Little poems” by Janus editions in 2004 (Translated Source: http://www.lifo.gr).
I shall appreciate that a correction is made on the article so that credit is given to its rightful poet.
Kind regards,
Mary Panagiotakopoulou
Mental Health Counsellor MACP
LikeLike