High Esteem part 2
I'm a pretty low-key guy. Ask my wife. She'll tell you. If I say something is pretty legit, that's about the highest praise I have. When I was getting my first book published I told Jeff--the publisher--that a thumbs up from me meant jumping up and down with excitement. Which is what I was doing when I got my first book published (giving a thumbs up, not jumping up and down... but, you know, same thing). My point is, even someone like me can (and should) give people props when they do what they do. And I'm not even necessarily talking about people doing things for me. I'm talking about... there's not enough excitement in this world. It seems like anytime someone gets excited about something, someone else wants to rain on their parade. And for the life of me I don't understand why. I think it's probably because we've been disappointed so many times we are resentful of anybody else experiencing what we used to have, or what we wish we had. Misery loves company. That sort of thing. Which I guess I understand. Intellectually. But which I don't understand... practically. Because making others feel worse DOESN'T make us feel better. It might seem like it should... but it doesn't. Now there are just two sad people instead of one sad person and one happy person. To me it would be better for all involved to increase the happiness rather than decrease it. I think happiness can be contagious... if we let it. If we joy with those who are joying instead of getting all upset about someone else's joy. I think the good things (the GOD things) in life are more powerful than the bad things. (And, really, I think we need to move out of the realm of good and evil althogether, but that's another Rant for another time.) I think what we magnify in our lives is what will manifest in our lives. I believe that what you feed is what will grow. What you allow is what will continue. How you treat people--and how you allow people to treat you--teaches them what's ok and what's not. If you let people walk all over you... they'll treat you like a doormat. If you act ungrateful when people put effort into you... eventually they'll stop. When someone reaches out their hand to you and you slap it away... it makes them not want to reach out. Trust me. I've been there, done that, got the t-shirt. And, listen, being connected to the unlimited supply of God's love means you never HAVE to stop reaching out. But when people make it hard... it's hard. Here's my point for today, before I run out of room: You should love people no matter what. That's why we were created. There doesn't need to be a reason for you to love someone. To lay your life down for them. To give them everything you have and everything you are. That's what love is. And that's amazing. Now add this to that: When someone loves YOU... when someone lays their life down for YOU... gives YOU maximum effort... the least--the very LEAST--you can do (and SHOULD do) is be grateful. Let them know that you appreciate them. Let them know that they succeeded in making you feel special. Because that will make THEM feel special. And then that goodness... that love... will feed on itself and continue to grow and grow. Then that joy will increase. Because you receieved it... and released it. And that, friends, is the Divine Order of things!