Building Strength: Part 1

• "The Greens are getting greener. The fridge is ever cleaner. My space is ever leaner. My Spirit and my Body require it. They are speaking thusly. Getting good Counsel too. Pumpkin seeds, walnuts, pistachios, blueberries, oranges, apples, spinach, veggies, beets, whole grains, organic yogourt and peanut butter... and more. Who is this Guy? It is Me... taking ever better care of me. Boxing, walking, lifting, dancing, biking and hiking ever more this Summer too. Our Health is not a hobby... I am learning increasingly so. It requires attention to mind, body, spirit and Soul. Mine does... and making the necessary changes. I am addressing all... and ever learning."

I wrote and posted this today on Facebook. It's significance? Back on April 28, I decided to go on a Reclamation Project of my own making. It was motivated and inspired by dealings around my Health this past year. Since that time, I have dived into exploring Character, COOLness, Stoicism and Optimism.... throughout May ... and moving into June exploring KNOWledge.

KNOWledge and Strength

I subsequently wrote on COOLness and Just Cause before moving onto:

• Strong KNOWledge
• Just and Wise Power
• and MADD Practice and Skill

But the ultimate significance is that I am seeing this exploration as a journey into a healthy and higher living of Strength... of mind, body, spirit and Soul.

These times in which we live offer great change and challenge, and while we have always seen such throughout history, I believe and contend that these days, weeks, months and years are somewhat epic and will be historic, invoking a better future for us all. I do believe in Optimism, but such is born of a higher practice of Strength ... in turn born of a better Understanding of Character and Purpose and Unity as powerful forces for constructively walking through and even creating change.

Still, So What?

For me, personally and professionally, I am seeing this journey as one of digging ever deeper into what an assured and truly healthy and strong step would look like in these times. I am focusing first on my own application of my Work... and that brings me to my two-fold point, for now.

• First, KNOWledge begins by looking within and that begins by looking behind. I am humbly suggesting that a worthwhile starting point is to look at and inventory our trails, trials and triumphs through life in order to mine them for our own teachable moments, especially around Virtue and Character. This is not about our bitter lessons, but our better lessons. Amidst our trials, what Virtues and Character did we need ... to get through and beyond? Amidst our triumphs, what Virtues and Character were present and manifested in order to succeed? And when we made our own missed takes, what lessons in needed Virtue and Character were being taught to us whether we realized it or not? And Character matters, especially in times of change and challenge.

I am taking this month to do an effective inventory of same. In so doing, it mines our own precious experience in order to advance our very own best sense of Confidence. What we have successfully survived, learned from and accomplished are all mirrors to our Character. And KNOWledge starts there.

• Second, it is my intent over the balance of June (and beyond) to explore the Virtue that is KNOWledge as a source of Strength; not simply looking within as above... but exploring material around Stoicism and Food for Thought and Prayer and Meditation, and Acupuncture and Self Mastery and more. The Mission is to build the kind of higher Strength that is assured ... with Certitude ... in these times and forward; good for the Health of Body, Mind, Spirit and Soul.

My Base Code

That all said, as part of my own baseline (if you will), I am drawing on my Love of these words of Bahá’u’lláh.

I will be examining what they might look like for me ... better understood both personally and professionally... and applied to my own sense of Strength and Health... if that makes sense. A deeper, richer Understanding of these words will constructively impact my own Strength. And, I believe starting with some expression of thought that truly and soulfully resonates for you is such a great baseline for your own practice of KNOWledge. It is about "cutting our teeth" on what soulfully speaks to us and the best, richest, real reasons for such.

The First Brick

Growing up in a family centered around the masonry business, I like the analogy of one brick at a time. With that in mind and heart, I might suggest the FIRST BRICK is the notion of starting within and behind to inventory the strengths you have already manifested in your life thus far, particularly around Character. This sets the cornerstone from which we build added Strength.

Building Strength Series

All that said, it is my intent to forge a "Series" this Month around KNOWledge and Strength, and I will be sharing 1-2 times a Week, in doing so. If building greater and healthier Strength in times of uncertainty, change, challenge and even chaos matters to you, I invite you to follow along. We can engage a Studentry around Strength. This is The Month of The Red Wolf. Aim High.

Justice, Peace and Unity...

Barry Lewis Green, aka The Unity Guy with Epic Engage

Explore your Code of Character

A PEACE of WORK May '23