Monday, February 1, 2021
Meditation: At the Center is Love: Liquid Mind – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQneawxy0pQ
Question: Name five key events that have shaped your life and who you are today.
Answer: Just five? Okay, let’s go with these five:
- The birth of my daughters, Amanda and Bethany. They’ve helped me be a better man and a better person. Every time I spend time with them, people tell me I’m a much different (and better) person. They definitely bring out the best in me. They also got me back into reading; they were both voracious readers growing up – and I have become the same.
- When I had my blood clot in 2016. It made me realize that I’m not invincible and that I have to take better care of myself physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually in order to stay around for a while (at least until I’m 100 years old). I also seem to appreciate life much more now than in the past.
- When my ex-wife left for Georgia with Amanda and Bethany in 2005. Looking back, that was a HUGE turning point in my life, almost like the old Bill was leaving and the new Bill was about to be awakened. They left for Georgia in the morning, I left drove to Maryland to attend Skip Downing’s On Course 1 Workshop. At that workshop, that’s when I truly realized what I was put on this earth to do.
- When my parents past away in 2015, about three months apart. Absolutely devastating on so many levels. I still had so many unresolved questions that needed to be answered, but also never really thanked them for making me who I am today. I wouldn’t have the drive and the ambition I have now if it wasn’t for them.
- When I received the Golden Key International Advisor of the Year Award in 2004. The award wasn’t the reward; it was the first time I truly realized that my work with students isn’t about the recognition, prestige, and the outward achievements. What really made me break down and cry was the fact that the student who nominated me shared that I was like her father away from home. She knew that she was safe and that I would take care of her no matter what. It’s one of the first times I could remember that my work was about serving others, not about serving myself. That was truly an eye-opener for me.
There are so many other key events that shaped my life, but those are five of the most recent that have shaped who I am today.
Other Stuff
I was going through my bookmark list again, trying to find something that could be tied to what I shared above and the past 31 days.
Here’s a video that really epitomizes what it means to be a true craftsman. Yes, it’s a story about a furniture maker, but it’s more than that. It’s a story about those individuals who take pride in the work that they do that serves others in the best possible way. What makes you stand out compared to others? And it comes out in this documentary extremely well. If you have 18 minutes, check it out here:
- A Life’s Work: The Philosophy of a Craftsman – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zweMkuQc3pU
It’s such a powerful story that resonates with my soul on so many different levels. It really answers and addresses the question, “What are you truly here to do?”
The Dream Dean 