JULY 9, 2020
Given all that is going on in our country right now, I enjoyed listening to U.S. Senator Tim Scott, a black (African American if you choose) U.S. Senator quote this phrase; “Create your future rather than frame your past.” Something I hope ALL of you have been trying to do since the day you were born. If you haven’t, there is no better time to start than NOW. Being an old “History Buff” with an emphasis on US history in college years ago, I have continued to “Study” and reflect on our nation’s history and the great progress we have made since the sixties. Yes, we have a long way to go and it is critical time right now for our country to get it right. (What is the real cause of this unrest?)
As we have discussed in the past, there are things in our control which only WE can accomplish one person at a time. As a gentle reminder, here they are in no particular order:
- You can control what you say about yourself. Do you speak positively about yourself to yourself or do you guilt yourself into thinking you are not enough or you cannot make a difference? Your are special so act like it.
- You can control how you react to things. Do you become angry and apathetic about life in general or do you look to the future rather than try and frame all the BAD things that have happened to you? (Remember, it is not about you anyway)
- You can control how you treat other people. We all want to be treated with dignity and respect and some of us just want to be understood. You can’t control how people treat other people but you can stand up for what is right and just in this world. Do it with some class rather than with anger which is SO destructive.
- You can control YOUR choices you make in your life. We all want something. This started the day you were born. Most of us Americans have been “given” more opportunities in life than other countries and if we choose to love one another rather than fight each other, life might just go a little better for all. If you are not looking for opportunities to better yourself, don’t expect others to do it for you. Start small. You just might learn something about yourself.
I think everyone ought to go back and study their American History as to how we got to where we are right now. Again, no country is perfect. We will all make mistakes. (Having a Perfect Union is the goal) There will be good and bad people trying to get THEIRS in this life and don’t really care much about what others think or do. History is important because if you don’t know where you have been, how do you know where you are going? Once you learn where you are going what are YOU doing to create a better future for yourself and others (We can’t go alone). Are you doing something that can help solve the problem or are you part of the problem? This rings true in any country, State, Community or organization. What is the Vision? Is it to create more power and control over others or bring about peace, harmony, equality?
Dale Carnegie, in his book, “How to Win Friends and Influence People” shared with us that the two most important things most adults are concerned about are their health and influencing others. (This book was written in 1938 so some things never change) Many of us today are influenced by the media. (Especially Social Media) I hope that you can learn to think for yourself and learn what is right and wrong. Good or bad.
As I continue to envision the context of history unfolding, I like the dreams of the future better than the history of the past. Our country has had a long and checkered history of good and bad. I tend to look at the progress we have made as human beings instead of how bad we are as a country or organization. If you think this country is supposed to take care of you from cradle to grave, you will become just like everyone else. God made us all equal in his eyes but some of us choose to be comfortable and therefore lose our spirit to participate in life’s joys and sorrows. Try choosing to be the best form of yourself.
Don’t let history “Frame” your past just because you feel you are entitled to everything others have sacrificed (sometimes with their lives) to attain. I don’t care where you stand in American society. Choose to better yourself and make an impact on others. You don’t even have to be the smartest person in the room to make an impact on one other person. Create a principled life that will honor God and not some other human being.
Be looking for MORE on creating YOUR future rather than just framing your past. We all have had ups and downs. Look at going UP in your future.
Elevator Guy