The DAILY SPARK Blog

TO DISARM

Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial Washington DC

If we could read the secret history of our enemies, we should find in each man’s life sorrow and suffering enough to disarm all hostility.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, from The Complete Works of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

REFLECTION:

  • Everyone has a backstory that contributes to how they are behaving towards us.
  • Is there someone who has been disrespectful, perhaps argumentative or even attacking you personally?  Is there a backstory to their behavior?
  • Are they in need of compassion?
  • How can you approach them with empathy and compassion?  try it!

SEEDS YOU PLANT…

Seed emerging

Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds you plant.

Quote by Robert Lewis Stevenson

REFLECTION:

  • Do you focus on efforts and actions that produce immediate results/rewards?
  • How do you balance short term gratification for long term growth and progress?
  • Endurance and patience are needed for greater impact/results to materialize.  Are you willing to plant seeds (actions) that will yield a greater harvest in the future?
  • What seeds are you planting today for your tomorrow?

TRADE OFFS

Tidal Basin, Washington DC

… If you’ve found a way to make a living, the challenge in making a life is to find the guts to think about the size of your work container.  That’s not easy.  It comes with tradeoffs.  We don’t always succeed. 

Seth Godin’s Daily Blog (3/30/24) partial selectio

REFLECTION:

  • Does your work occupy a disproportionate amount of your time?
  • Can you rightsize your work container?
  • What tradeoffs are you willing to make to have a more balanced life?