Meet, Greet and Seize the Day

Meeting, greeting and seizing The Day. What does that mean in real time, and the real world? What might it look like? In practice? In our lives? I am considering such and same, right now. With that noted, first off... A PEACE of WORK this month offers up several conversations that are each somewhat and varyingly aligned with these questions.

I humbly invite and encourage you to consider these conversations...

• Talk Reel on Self Care with Meghan Legere...
• Two Guys talking Optimism...
• TUGtalks HR... as career and path, and choices made...
• TUGtalks with Melissa Lloyd talking Creativity...
• and #hUmaNITY with Lisa Olsen talking Spirit...

... all as part of TUGtv. In different ways, all of these conversations are also timely for me ... given where my head and heart are right now. I humbly encourage engaging these rich and fun conversations. I really do. That in mind and heart, I thought to dig into and explore 4 themed ideas to meet, greet and seize The Day.

Just yesterday, on Facebook, I noted:

• Been in quite a brain fog for most of today. But I have found over the years that sometimes fog causes us to look ever more closely to see things. After a healthy supper... I entered into a fierce workout to try and burn away the fog. Amidst the workout and my music, several seemingly inconsequential and divergent moments at the time over the last few weeks ... all converged quickly to help me see something I have missed for years. Sometimes when wounded, we miss a bit of shrapnel because it required a bit more digging... and we are not ready because it hurts. I realized in the workout that there is some of that "shrapnel" from a deep challenge of Faith 12 years ago. And it speaks to Trust and Truthfulness.

• Got to do my own digging to get at it ... and I will. We are all broken and we are all works in progress. Such is Life. But Life has a way of both breaking us and taking those pieces to build our better selves... when we are ready. I am ready. That last bit of shrapnel needs to be removed. I am going to be diving into Trust and Truthfulness as they relate to 12 years ago. It will hurt I know but any repair work does. Weakness often precedes Strength. Drawing on my workouts, Stoicism and my Baha'i Faith plus work around Character ... and the 5 Strategies of The Virtues Project... and especially around Trust and Truthfulness ... going to remove the remnant. It is time. And I will be a better man for it. Insh'allah. PS... the workout was my most fierce to date.

Epilogue: Then, this morning in that dream-waking-kind-of- state, I already received something of a prayerful answer... and it was not where or what I might have thought it to be. It did indeed focus on Trust and Truthfulness and it was the convergence of multiple ideas of Wisdom, centering on several themes.

Consider these thoughts from Seneca.

• "Begin at once to live, and count each separate day as a separate life."
• “You will hear many people saying: ‘When I am fifty I shall retire into leisure; when I am sixty I shall give up public duties.’ And what guarantee do you have of a longer life? Who will allow your course to proceed as you arrange it? Aren’t you ashamed to keep for yourself just the remnants of your life, and to devote to wisdom only that time which cannot be spent on any business? How late it is to begin really to live just when life must end!”
• “Putting things off is the biggest waste of life: it snatches away each day as it comes, and denies us the present by promising the future. The greatest obstacle to living is expectancy, which hangs upon tomorrow and loses today. You are arranging what lies in Fortune’s control, and abandoning what lies in yours. What are you looking at? To what goal are you straining? The whole future lies in uncertainty: live immediately.”

And this from Marcus Aurelius:

• “Remember how long you’ve been putting this off, how many extensions the gods gave you, and you didn’t use them. At some point you have to recognize what the world it is that you belong to; what power rules it and from what source you spring; that there is a limit to the time assigned you, and if you don’t use it to free yourself it will be gone and will never return.”

And then this from Bahá’u’lláh:

• "Bring thyself to account each day ere thou art summoned to a reckoning; for death, unheralded, shall come upon thee and thou shalt be called to give account for thy deeds."

The Truth is... Today matters. Indeed and in deed, it is all that matters as to the "passage" of Time anyway. Truth assuredly. In The Brickwork Matters, I addressed this notion. But there was still a level of Understanding and Trust around which I needed to get. And, I am getting there.

There is no Yesterday. There is no Tomorrow. They are abstract concepts to imagine past and future. And they need be healthily questioned. But, Today provides opportunity to give the past better meaning. And Today gives us opportunity to build a better future, Today. And, only Today.

That is the ultimate point of power... the NOW. That is as real as it gets. What we do with Today is what matters. Understanding that "each separate day" is a "separate life" is powerful, and a path to living our best lives in the only time we can; Today. We need to place our Focus and Attention there. But how? What does that look like in practice?

The next prayerful thought this morning ... coming forth from the sharpened notion of Today ... was around Joy and Joyfulness. As a Bahai, I am reminded that Abdu’l-Baha said:

• "Joy gives us wings! In times of joy our strength is more vital, our intellect keener, and our understanding less clouded. We seem better able to cope with the world and to find our sphere of usefulness. But when sadness visits us we become weak, our strength leaves us, our comprehension is dim and our intelligence veiled. The actualities of life seem to elude our grasp, the eyes of our spirits fail to discover the sacred mysteries, and we become even as dead beings. There is no human being untouched by these two influences; but all the sorrow and the grief that exist come from the world of matter—the spiritual world bestows only the joy!"

I am drawn to "There is no human being untouched by these two influences; but all the sorrow and the grief that exist come from the world of matter — the spiritual world bestows only the joy!"

Joy is of another Realm, if you will. I humbly suggest that we need to understand the difference between happiness and Joyfulness. Happiness is an emotion; a response to stimuli... technically referred to as an Affect. Emotions are important. We need best accept that they all matter... and that Emotional Courage matters.

Joyfulness is not a response but a Spirit... and a practice... and one that "... gives us wings!... with our strength... "more vital, our intellect keener, and our understanding less clouded." So, if Today is all I have, all we each have... then the daily practice of Joyfulness matters. And to that, I offer this long loved prayer that I will now be saying day and night...

In some ways, I see this as an agreement.

My Ask...

• Refresh and gladden my spirit.? Purify my heart.? Illumine my powers.?

My Promise...

• I lay all my affairs in Thy hand.? Thou art my Guide and my Refuge.? I will no longer be sorrowful and grieved; I will be a happy and joyful being.?I will no longer be full of anxiety, nor will I let trouble harass me.? I will not dwell on the unpleasant things of life.

My Acknowledgement

• Thou art more friend to me than I am to myself.?
• I dedicate myself to Thee, O Lord.

Whether we see "God" as Universe or Love or Spirit or our very own best Conscience... in these words, we ask that our Spirit be refreshed and gladdened. We ask that our Heart be made pure of Spirit.

We ask that our powers be illumined. We promise to lay our affairs outside of us, knowing we do have Responsibility to make effort but not outcome.

And, "sorrowful and grieved" speaks to degree for me. We can and need to experience grief and sadness, but should not be FULL of such... thus freeing us to no longer be FULL of anxiety and not letting trouble "harass" us... not DWELLING on the unpleasant things of life. Joyfulness does not deny sadness nor any other emotion but it is a bulwark against dwelling there, and we then find Life to be The Dance, finding joy in that.

This is all to say that The Day requires the action, habit and Purpose of Joyfulness... and I intend to bring it. Indeed and in deed, it is true Optimism in practice... with patient Zeal, if you will. For me, it means that I only have The Day, and that I will daily practice being a Joybringer. That in mind, Abdu’l-Baha also said, "I want you to be happy […],?to laugh, smile and rejoice in order that others may be made happy by you." Enter Joybringer.

I recently posted on Love, Gratitude and Intent. And, I have written on L.O.V.E. as action. Such Love is a practice of Character... and Leadership. It is best and consciously manifested in its intent and execution.

Connecting deeply. Committing wholeheartedly.

Showing Kindness and Appreciation. Cherishing. Adoring.

This is Love in practice. Loving those who most matter to us, and the work and Life that most matters to us. Daily. One day at a time. To that end, I see these words below as indicative of Love, in action... and I will live them as best I can.

If we have but Today (and we do), and we choose tp practice genuine Joyfulness and Love living one day at a time, it does not mean a Life of Ease. Epictetus said...

• “What would have become of Hercules do you think if there had been no lion, hydra, stag or boar – and no savage criminals to rid the world of? What would he have done in the absence of such challenges? Obviously he would have just rolled over in bed and gone back to sleep. So by snoring his life away in luxury and comfort he never would have developed into the mighty Hercules. And even if he had, what good would it have done him? What would have been the use of those arms, that physique, and that noble soul, without crises or conditions to stir into him action?”

Indeed and in deed. Life is Life. There will be Challenge. But taken day by day, it is lessened. The Challenge becomes ever greater when we think ahead. Having a Vision is indeed important. Having a Just Cause is important. I have my own. But Challenge needs be met head on, face on, in the only arena we have... NOW. And meeting those challenges is where we build our Character.

I ask that we each consider and better understand that Today is all we have. As Seneca noted... "Begin at once to live, and count each separate day as a separate life." I encourage that we consider and better understand what the practices of genuine Joyfulness and Love bring to each Day.

For me, I am now considering the practice of One Day, One Life and what would I bring to that Day. If our chief task is to determine over that which we have true control... are not Joyfulness and Love within that realm of personal control?

Engaging the NOW implies that we work on that over which we have control and influence. Our practice of Joyfulness and Love are part of that, I humbly believe, submit and contend. With that in mind and heart.... as I endeavour around my 4 Horses of Health... as I move my Life forward... there is a fundamental and seismic shift afoot. This Prayer speaks to me on that level of shift...

... and is my immediate takeaway. Through it, I will Love and bring Joy accordingly; one freakin' day at a time. In so doing, I consciously and deliberately choose to walk with a spirit of confident and composed Peace.

That noted, I started this post by saying that "Sometimes when wounded, we miss a bit of shrapnel because it required a bit more digging... and we are not ready because it hurts." and that this exploration will be about Trust and Truthfulness. The prayerful answer this morning...

... was quicker than expected, and appreciated. Still, the work is in the practice... soulfully accepting the Truth of Today...

... and practicing Trust that each day (well and courageously lived) moves me closer to where I am going. That Understanding was not fully present 12 years ago... and it caused mental paralysis, pain and struggle to be honest. Without getting into detail, I experienced a definitive crisis of Faith that brought on a sense of desperation even... that was supremely counterproductive... and even debilitating for a period of Time. I did not Trust in Today, and found myself questioning so much outside of my "control".

Still, that same Understanding of the Truth of Today (and Trusting in it) has steadily been growing (through work) since then. Incrementally. But now, it is palpably understood.

Beyond cliché. I only have Today. You only have Today. We only have Today. We need live the only reality we have. Today. We need bring your best practice of Joyfulness and Love... to it; to each Day. We need to live in "day tight compartments" as Dale Carnegie would say. And, as Seneca noted, we need to "live immediately". On Purpose. We can hold to a Vision and Just Cause but the only way we get there is Today, each Day.

A Simple Plan

Bottom line, I am ever better and fully Understanding the sacred habits needed.

• I will consider the hours I sleep as my Time to reconnect with Spirit and recharge for the next Day of Life.
• MORNING: I will begin the Day with expanded Prayer and Meditation to center myself. Then, I will consider the beginning of my waking hours as the beginning of my Life, for Today.
• THE DAY: I will bring my best practice of Joyfulness and Love to what I do and who matters most to me, personally and professionally... in the Flow of Life... with random and creative and simple acts of same... for that Day only; including living SLOWER.
• EVENING: And, I will consider the end of day as the end of my Life, Today. I will bring myself to account each day; not to shame nor blame but to live ever better the next Today.

Morning Reset. Daily bold and candid Joy and Love. Evening Reflect.

Yup, Day Tight Compartments, lived immediately... a deeper, cooler brickwork that will strengthen my capacity to bring a healthy practice of Joy and Love to Life; in the NOW. How about you? Let us each meet, greet and seize Today.

Oh, and before I forget... here I chat on living in the NOW... if you like to have a listen. And here is an amazing song I heard live some years back that is speaking to me this Day; Today. Maybe we are already there. I think we are.

Justice, Peace and Unity...

Barry Lewis Green, aka The Unity Guy with Epic Engage

• My work and Service is that I am a Leadership Educator, Speaker, Coach and Creator helping Educators, Entrepreneurs and Emerging Leaders working to build a better world at school, work, business and community... through the advancement of Character, Purpose and Unity. I help nobilize leadership, mobilize mission and humanize culture. I hold conversation around same, and advance action towards. It is what unites us... and I am The Unity Guy. Let us Aim High.

• The LECturn is a more random initiative offering up thought for Leaducators, Emergents and Communitrepreneurs around Character, Purpose and Unity as 3 fundamental forces for leadership at home, school, work, business and community. The articles are relatively shorter, surgical and value-driven for real time and the real-world.... drawing on 44 years in leadership training and development.

• Through my work, I offer what I call Free Thought, including random and regular blog articles, two newsletters, and TUGtv... all free and ad free. They serve who I call Leaducators, Emergents and Communitrepreneurs.

Some Other Thoughts, Ideas and Books to Ponder...