Again I'm here to share what I've been learning to emphasize "You not Them" as a true principle. The more I learn, the more I realize I have yet to learn, and the more I see that I previously was not ready to mentor my children. I honestly feel that finally, after months of serious study, numerous books and tens of thousands of pages (literally, I counted them), I am finally one step ahead, which is all that is required of a mentor.
In the Bible is a principle taught in the story of the creation. In Genesis chapter 1 the creation is laid out in six creative periods, including the creation of "man in [God's] own image...male and female created he them." Then in Genesis 2:4-5, after God rested from his labors on the seventh day, "These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens. And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground." (KJV - Emphasis added)
So "in the beginning" the Lord created everything, then in chapter two it says there were not yet plants and "there was not a man" on the earth. It seems apparent from the Bible that God created things spiritually or planned out everything for the creation of this earth before he actually created this earth. We can practice this godlike principle, as his children, by practicing habit two in "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" which is "Begin with the End in Mind." Stephen R. Covey suggests we become our "first creator" by imagining the finished product, by discovering what we want & who we want to be in the end.
This is like building a house. The first thing most people do, the wiser ones anyway, is to create a plan, or blueprints. In creating a plan for a house, I don't know of anyone that starts with the foundation. They start with 'the end in mind', ...how the house is to look, what kinds of rooms they want in it, how big they want it to be, do they want the garage attached or seperate. After "seeing" or "creating" the finished product, they start focusing on details such as wiring, plumbing, and foundation work. And when they actually start building then they start with the foundation, followed by the rough structure, then plumbing and wiring, and so forth, and they end up with the finished product, the 'second creation' modeled after the 'first creation.'
If we start building a house right away, laying some foundation, nailing pieces of wood together, etc., the finished product will only reflect all the steps we've taken along the way. And in the end, even if we're stuck with a house we hate, the house will represent our choices, we will realize that we chose that house.
The same is true with our lives. We need to imagine ourselves as a finished product (or 5 years from now, or 10 years to begin with). We decide what it is we want, who it is we want to be. We then start planning out the details. Once we've done that, and ONLY when we've done that, can we truly take control of our lives and start building our foundations.
If we don't do this, then in the end (or even NOW if we're not where we want to be) we must face up to the fact that we have chosen the situation we are in. We have chosen the finished product, we just didn't bother to realize that every choice along the way was choosing the finished product. Now of course the great thing is, as long as we are still alive, we can always step back for a moment, and start planning and laying out some blueprints, so that we do have control over the finished product.
So.... What do you want? Who do you want to be? Where do you want to be? When do you want to get there? Why do you want to be that? Figure out these questions, and you're well on your way to discovering 'How do I get there?' It's all about YOU.
In the Bible is a principle taught in the story of the creation. In Genesis chapter 1 the creation is laid out in six creative periods, including the creation of "man in [God's] own image...male and female created he them." Then in Genesis 2:4-5, after God rested from his labors on the seventh day, "These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens. And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground." (KJV - Emphasis added)
So "in the beginning" the Lord created everything, then in chapter two it says there were not yet plants and "there was not a man" on the earth. It seems apparent from the Bible that God created things spiritually or planned out everything for the creation of this earth before he actually created this earth. We can practice this godlike principle, as his children, by practicing habit two in "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" which is "Begin with the End in Mind." Stephen R. Covey suggests we become our "first creator" by imagining the finished product, by discovering what we want & who we want to be in the end.
This is like building a house. The first thing most people do, the wiser ones anyway, is to create a plan, or blueprints. In creating a plan for a house, I don't know of anyone that starts with the foundation. They start with 'the end in mind', ...how the house is to look, what kinds of rooms they want in it, how big they want it to be, do they want the garage attached or seperate. After "seeing" or "creating" the finished product, they start focusing on details such as wiring, plumbing, and foundation work. And when they actually start building then they start with the foundation, followed by the rough structure, then plumbing and wiring, and so forth, and they end up with the finished product, the 'second creation' modeled after the 'first creation.'
If we start building a house right away, laying some foundation, nailing pieces of wood together, etc., the finished product will only reflect all the steps we've taken along the way. And in the end, even if we're stuck with a house we hate, the house will represent our choices, we will realize that we chose that house.
The same is true with our lives. We need to imagine ourselves as a finished product (or 5 years from now, or 10 years to begin with). We decide what it is we want, who it is we want to be. We then start planning out the details. Once we've done that, and ONLY when we've done that, can we truly take control of our lives and start building our foundations.
If we don't do this, then in the end (or even NOW if we're not where we want to be) we must face up to the fact that we have chosen the situation we are in. We have chosen the finished product, we just didn't bother to realize that every choice along the way was choosing the finished product. Now of course the great thing is, as long as we are still alive, we can always step back for a moment, and start planning and laying out some blueprints, so that we do have control over the finished product.
So.... What do you want? Who do you want to be? Where do you want to be? When do you want to get there? Why do you want to be that? Figure out these questions, and you're well on your way to discovering 'How do I get there?' It's all about YOU.
2 comments:
This post goes along with exactly what I've been thinking lately! As I watch Jacob prepare to enter Scholar Phase I realize that I have not been putting the focus on my education like I should have been. There are always excuses... but the fact is, I've made choices.
I'm recommitted to putting in the hard work that it will take to be an effective mentor, but more importantly to really seek my own education. To further the cause of freedom.
Thank you so much for posting!
What an inspiring post! Lately, I've just been floating along in life without solid plans for the near future. I suppose when we don't know exactly where we're going to end up after law school, I just put the planning off to the side.
I know how I want things to look in the end, but I need to MAKE those blueprints and set shorter-term goals. Thank you for the reminder :)
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