We have been looking at the effect of disengagement and the drive to passivity that influences us in our daily life. Last week we noted the importance of disengagement upon our attitudes.
This week we touch on its impact upon our perspective of life. Your perspective on life is fundamentally linked to who you are! Who you are determines the lens or eyeglass through which you see life. John Maxwell, in Winning with People, notes that who you are determines:
- What you see
- How you see others
- How you view life
- What you do
Who you are does not remain static. You do not remain the same person year after year, decade after decade. Maxwell notes that who you are is determined by:
- Genetics – your family back ground
- Self-image
- Experiences of life
- Attitudes and choices about those experiences
- Friends
Jesus said to his disciples that in this world you will have trouble. Most people I now agree that Jesus was pretty right about that – in this world we have trouble .
Well how have you fared?
Have troubles depleted who you are or added to who you are? Have they been the springboard to a lesser you – are you more bitter, resentful, untrusting, insensitive, uncaring, inflexible or impatient? Have you given up on humanity because of past hurts and experiences? OR have they been the springboard to a greater you – are you more compassionate, loving, caring, kind, sensitive or patient? We need to understand that disengagement and the things that provoke disengagement deplete who we are, whereas, engagement, despite the things that provoke us, add to who we are and make us better people as a result.
