The only thing constant is Change.... This is a popular statement that explains how our lives are in continuous motion. One of my goals with starting this blog was to not only challenge myself as a writer, but to only discuss things I feel passionate about. I promise that I will never write anything just to fill space on this blog, trust me that whatever you read will be 100% from the heart.
I will keep this post short because I want to use this as an opportunity to encourage others. Just so you know, my mind goes about 1,000 miles a minute, I am ALWAYS thinking..... Sometimes it's complex thoughts, other times it's small brain farts about random nothings. The constant message of President Barack Obama's 2008 campaign was"Change We Can Believe In." This strategy was largely successful for him because whenever there is a message about someone or something challenging the status quo we tend to listen, whether we agree with it or not is another story.
If there is anyone out there that's not concerned with personal growth just look in the mirror.
More than likely you look considerably different then the person you were 5 or 10 years ago, at least physically. Some people see this aspect of change as negative and fight it tooth and nail, I on the other hand say embrace change with vigor. With the exception of plastic surgery, there is not much we can do to change our physical bodies other than to exercise and eat right. But even with that, the effects of age will continue to show. You can't turn back the hands of time, but what you can do is evolve as a person. Try to look for any and all opportunities to grow and learn new things. I have grown so much in the last 7 years and I thank my wife Amber for that. Before I met her I had a very insular perception of the world. It was all about "Chigozie"I had my views and refused to see it any other way, I was a typical caveman. Thankfully I,m a lot more well rounded because I made the decision to be different than the examples I had in my life. We may not all have a "significant other" to push us to open our minds, but there is someone in our circle of influence whose probably operating on another wavelength. You may see these people as "weird" but they have simply made the decision to be comfortable in their skin, which is commendable. It may be that co-worker at the office who loves talking about their Star Wars collection, or someone at your church who volunteers at the animal shelter on weekends.
The key thing to remember is that we all have experiences that we can share with the goal of enriching and adding to others lives. Try to have a "Servant" mentality when it comes to learning new things. If you are talking more than listening, you are learning nothing. If you are listening more than talking you are learning everything. In elementary and middle school I used to be heavy into Greek Mythology. Without missing a beat I could tell you about all the Gods and Goddesses on Mount Olympus as well as their special powers. Mind you I was the only black person that I knew who was like that. I would geek whenever Lou Ferrigno would be on TV as "Hercules". As I grew older I allowed society to dictate my rate of growth and suppress my individuality. What was cool to me was not acceptable to the popular kids in school so the pressure to conform took over.
2009 is almost over and what do you have to show for it? Most of the time when we make a dumb decision we say things like"Its a learning experience" to make ourselves feel better about it. 9 times out of 10 we will make the same mistake again and again. It's time to learn and grow before making the mistake. Become a "slave of learning" and use a few minutes today to get to know a complete stranger. It doesn't have to be a long conversation, it can happen while in the line at the grocery. Those few minutes chit chatting could give you the answer to a problem you were dealing with for years or help the other person find their answer.
Self-Improvement is the goal, try to learn something new every day in your free time, if you're able, go to the library, pick out a book on a subject you have never heard about and read it from start to finish. You will never be a more fulfilled and complete person than when you learn new things. Personally I never feel comfortable when people are talking about something I know nothing about so I'm always reading.
If you too want to grow as a person, the change begins with the man/woman in the mirror....
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