What I learned

I found out recently that my high school art teacher is retiring this year. I want to make a consorted effort to go visit her before the school year ends, and I hope I will be able to do that.

She was a very special person, one of those teachers that truly cared about her students and tried to inspire them to have faith in their own creativity. I thank her for that. She was the one person in my teenage years that told me I was "good enough" to pursue art and creativity in whatever form suited me.

I believe all of us have the potential to be a mentor to someone. To inspire another individual with believing in themselves. All of us have worth and all of us have a place in this world. While you may not completely understand someones chosen path or lifestyle, it is a part of them, not the whole package. I think it is our job as reasonable and responsible adults to see past the cover story and help others.

So how do you inspire? It does not need to be a grand gesture, it can be as simple as living consciously with a soul of a citizen. It may be where you are consistent with your pursuit of an interest, and becoming an expert on it. Or, it could be where you just listen to someone, and support them with their decisions at the time. Its our job to be open to the possibilities that we may have impact with our actions and words.

Life Lesson:
"Value those that have come into your life as a mentor or teacher. These individuals are wise and can help you see beyond your current viewpoint, and help you believe in your true potential."

There You Are

I have been thinking a lot about the saying, "No matter where you go, there you are" lately. I know several people that all they have to say about anything is negative, and they think that they will be happier if the "just" did this or that, whether it is their pining to move from where they currently live or changing jobs. I used to have that same perspective, but that changed.

What changed my perspective is experiencing two major floods that were less than one year apart. With experiencing such life altering events can either change your outlook on life or it can break you. I chose take the more positive route. I have extreme gratitude life and appreciate where I am at at this moment. Yes, I want to grow further personally, but I am not disappointed or critical of where I am now.

I feel at peace with my where I am right now, but it took a long way to get here. I don't want to go back to how I looked at the world before, because I personally found it to cause needless tension.

W.I.I.F.M.

In my day job, I am a project manager for a major wireless telecommunications company, and one of the terms that we use in the corporate world is W.I.I.F.M. (What's In It For Me). Business wise, it is a very, very useful concept to always have in mind because it keeps you grounded in always considering the benefit of the end result with how it affects your internal and external customers.

In "real life" W.I.I.F.M. can be good, and it can be bad.

Good W.I.I.F.M.: The good can be very good such as personal gratification of a job well done on a piece of artwork, or seeing the personal benefit of what you are doing and how it affects others. Let's face it, as artists, we would not create unless we saw a benefit.

Bad W.I.I.F.M.: This type is where you are always looking out for "# 1" and not considering how your decisions or actions can have negative impacts on other people. Narcissism is main flavor of bad W.I.I.F.M. The problem with the "bad" is that usually the person that has this perspective does not understand this or does not "want" to take a step back to understand the negative impacts. It is a sad case in this instance.

I personally strive to embrace good W.I.I.F.M. because I want what I create and do to have a positive impact. Life is way to complex and short to not consider the good.

Chaos and Drama

In this 35th year of my life, I have come to realize that I have so much more to learn about human beings and human nature. I have this one nagging topic that rears it's head that is related to how people treat others. I KNOW I can not change anyone's actions or thoughts, even if I see them as hurtful and just plain wrong (in my opinion), but I wish I could.

I know for my own sanity, I need to step away from the situation that is causing frustration, and just let it take its own course since it does not have to do with my immediate family. The problem is, I hate seeing well meaning people get hurt. That I do have a problem with, but I think most individuals with a conscience do also. So what do I do? What can I do? Nothing. I need to accept that. I need to realize that I am really an outsider to the situation. I can't be in another person's head, though it would be interesting to be.

Please note, the issue is NOT one of direct physical abuse or any other type of major abuse, it is about human relations, and how different two or more people could look at the same situation. If it was about abuse, then yes, I would take proper action.

For myself, it is a realization that thinking about an issue that is not directly impacting my immediate family or myself is really a waste of my emotions and mental energy, both of which need a break.

It is so easy to get caught up in drama. I think as a society, especially the American society, a lot of us thrive on having constant drama in our lives. Why? Are we so afraid to have peace, stability, and quiet that we need constant chaos? I do not know the answer. All I know is that I don't want it in my life anymore.

When drama comes into life, it takes away the focus of the important things: love, warmth, understanding, creativity, and being true to one's self. I don't want to lose focus on those things anymore. I value myself, my family, and my time way too much.