Rich questions that require reflection…
Seven Questions for the New Year – Part 3
From Caroline’s 2012 Salon
Question Four: How do you want to be different by the end of the year?
This is a rich question and again one that requires reflection. This is not a question that you should reply to without serious thought because you really are setting an inner course for yourself. Think about this: How DO you want to be other than the way you are now? Do you want to release an addiction? Or do you want to have finally settled a conflict with someone? Or do you want to have finally learned something about astronomy by signing up for lectures at the Planetarium? Or do you want to challenge how you think about the Middle East by learning more about that part of the world?
Or, do you want to be a kinder and more thoughtful person? One of the women in the group said that by the end of the year, she wants to be out of debt. Fair enough. Goals are powerful anchors for us. They keep us focused and they give us a center point around which to make decisions.
Question Five: Whose life do you want to improve and how will you do that?
This is a fascinating question and it was one that took more time than some of these other questions because the answer involved another person. You have to think about someone other than yourself in a way that says, “I am consciously choosing to help this person.” As many of you know, stepping into the life of another person has to be done carefully and with great wisdom. It is not wise to blast into someone’s life, offer to take charge of their problems, and then vanish. It’s not wise to offer to do more than you can do.
I prefer to act anonymously. What has always worked for me is to find a child that needs a scholarship and to contribute to his or her support. I am also great at networking, helping people meet contacts that can assist them with their creative endeavors. Again, I do this carefully.
Some people have the time to do person-to-person care of another. I do not. My way is different. We each must find our own way but all ways of helping another human being make the world better.
Part 4 coming soon…
