Imagine yourself an eagle soaring above time and space. Below is the vast expanse of your life. You spread your wings and glide above the peaks and valleys, surveying the personal and professional decisions you have made, the actions taken, the joys and sorrows experienced.
The major forces and influences in your life—career, family, relationships, friends, experiences—appear as rivers. At certain points, two or more flow together, becoming forces of vast importance in your life: marriage, birth, loss, success, failure, triumph, tragedy.
You pull in your wings slightly and drift downward. Your vision is pulled toward a river that is deep, wide, and powerful. Into its waters, three other rivers connect and flow. As you gaze at this river, you recognize it as the reflection of your highest or best self.
Your best self is the harmonious blending of the dynamic and interactive elements of your soul, heart, and mind. Through the soul, we connect to our transcendent spirit; through our hearts, we connect to that which we love; and through our minds, we connect to our creative genius. When we nurture these three aspects of our lives, the rewards exceed anything we could have imagined.
We see greater possibilities for ourselves and our families. We are more purposeful and resilient. We are more flexible, more willing and able to handle change. We are much more focused and positive in all that we do. On the other hand, failing to attend to our higher selves results in being more limited, less fulfilled human beings.
If we accept that, in 2017, the pressures of competition and dizzying technological advancement demand that organizations and people be in a constant state of transformation, then to meet the aspirations we have for both our personal and professional lives, we must pay attention to our higher selves. In other words, we must be clear about what nourishes our souls, hearts, and minds.
But in this highly organized world of “doing,” how do we gain that clarity so we are staying true to the “being” we desire to be? Only by determining each day the things that truly matter to us and then making a commitment to bring them to fulfilment. Here are three questions to use as a guide:
- What could I do today that would be truly meaningful?
- What could I accomplish today that would provide a strong sense of satisfaction?
- What step, what leap, could I take today in the direction of my dreams?
The journey of life is not about perfection; it is about progress. If you do this each day for the next year, you will have improved your life almost 1,100 times. Now, that’s a resolution worthy of the deepest commitment!
“Said the Mother Eagle to the child, ‘All eagles were born to soar. It is why we were created. Our power, however, comes not from what we can see; it is in the unseen. It is the wind, not our wings, that lifts us to the high places. It is our vision, not our eyes, that makes us rulers of the skies. But, above all, it is our spirit, not our speed, that leads us to be strong and free.”
—From “The Eagle’s Secret” by David McNally
