My Personal Mission Statement

"Exercise my Skills and creativity in a way that gives me joy."

I will confess I snagged this from someone else but it really brings things into acute focus doesn't it?  

I actually created a collection of thoughts for myself as I congitated what I wanted as I look my career, life and other choices I have. I felt that I needed to have a starting point, something to evaluate all the rungs in the ladder of career, family, living and other choices that I have to make. I took my mission statement and then build on that by adding a couple of starter philosophical statements;

1. Don't be evil
2. Send positive energy to generate enjoyment in others.
3. More to come

The first comes from a company that we all know. The second supports the first and is based on my thoughts from the book "Bow to Life 365", which supports my own philosophy of what I aspire to be and how I encourage my children to live. The last one shows that this is a work in progress, life 1.0. What’s interesting is that the author discovers some of the same things that the PHD Daniel Goleman, who wrote Social Intelligence: The New Science of Human Relationships

Below is an excerpt from the first page in the book Bow to life 365;

Title: Bow to life 365, Secrets from the Martial Arts for Daily Life

By Joseph Cardillo

Bow to Life

Traditionally, bowing is the first thing you do when you enter a dojo and the last thing you do when you leave. It is a reminder that you come and go in peace. Bowing is a form of respect used in the martial arts, as well as throughout Asia. In a dojo the act of bowing is considered proper etiquette, equivalent to a handshake in Western Cultures. In sparring the gesture sets an atmosphere of good sportsmanship, trust, and safety -- implying that no one is there to hurt anyone else. There is hidden meaning to the bow -- it is a recognition of the Divine in another person. This notion is literal. Within each person and everything in our universe is a portion of Divine energy. This may sound blasphemous, but traditional martial arts teaches you to bow toanother person because you see the Divinity in that person, because you are both directly connected to the Infinite and thus to each other. The study of martial concepts is a way to unlock this amazing power and to discover what can be done with it.

EXERCISE:

Spend a day looking for the good in everyone you encounter as if watching a sunrise over the ocean for the first time -- no nitpicking. Shoot them a smile, even if just with your eyes. You are mentally bowing. You are showing respect and admiration for the good inlife. Don't worry about if they do or do not see you. Do the same with other things in your environment: places you go, music you listen to, nature, whatever is in your path. At the end of the day, see how good you feel, how much better it is than to have gotten into a clash with a coworker or a cashier at the grocery store. A bow is Divine energy sent into the world. By bowing to someone, you actively choose what kind of energy comes back toyou.