At times some of us have a tendency to associate the term “self-love” with narcissism; self-centeredness, or being egotistical, which leaves us with a bit of a conundrum. We don’t want to be thought of as a narcissist, and we have grown up being told not to be self-centered. This, then, raises the question, how can I love myself without being narcissistic?
In his interview, Psycho-Spiritual Scientist & Empowerment Specialist Ashraf Moorad uses the term “self-appreciation” as a window through which to view oneself.
Self-Love & Self Appreciation : The Key to The Spiritual Dimension
Frank Giudici workshop, Love Yourself Into Wholenessis posted on the TruthUnity website developed by Mark Hicks.
Dwelling in guilt is like living your life with an anchor tied to your ankles dragging you down.
Learning to accept the things that we perceive as wrong can be a difficult task for many of us. Often we have been brought up to accept that it is normal to feel guilty about our actions and that by doing so we will make everything seem alright within ourselves. Even though we might feel that we have a reason to make up for the choices we have made, it is much more important for us to learn how to deal with them in a healthy and positive way, such as through forgiveness and understanding.
When we can look back at our past and really assess what has happened, we begin to realize that there are many dimensions to our actions. While feeling guilty might assuage our feelings at first, it is really only a short-term solution. It is all too ironic that being hard on ourselves is the easy way out. If we truly are able to gaze upon our lives through the lens of compassion, however, we will be able to see that there is much more to what we do and have done than we realize. Perhaps we were simply trying to protect ourselves or others and did the best we could at the time, or maybe we thought we had no other recourse and chose a solution in the heat of the moment. Once we can understand that dwelling in our negative feelings will only make us feel worse, we will come to recognize that it is really only through forgiving ourselves that we can transform our feelings and truly heal any resentment we have about our past.
Giving ourselves permission to feel at peace with our past actions is one of the most positive steps we can take toward living a life free from regrets, disappointments, and guilt. The more we are able to remind ourselves that the true path to a peaceful mind and heart is through acceptance of every part of our lives and actions, the more harmony and inner joy we will experience in all aspects of our lives.
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“Fear, not the kind where you fear for your life, but the kind of fear that makes you afraid you are going to say something stupid. The kind of fear that makes you self conscious and makes your heart beat a little too fast. That kind of fear is abundant in schools and businesses, and it is toxic. It robs people, from students to business people, of one of the most critical skills they need to be successful: creativity…” – Delise Crimmins – Chief Learning Officer at Opt In Experts
Servant leadership is a philosophy and set of practices that enriches the lives of individuals, builds better organizations and ultimately creates a more just and caring world.
While servant leadership is a timeless concept, the phrase “servant leadership” was coined by Robert K. Greenleaf in The Servant as Leader, an essay that he first published in 1970. In that essay, Greenleaf said:
“The servant-leader is servant first… It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead. That person is sharply different from one who is leader first, perhaps because of the need to assuage an unusual power drive or to acquire material possessions…The leader-first and the servant-first are two extreme types. Between them there are shadings and blends that are part of the infinite variety of human nature.”
“The difference manifests itself in the care taken by the servant-first to make sure that other people’s highest priority needs are being served. The best test, and difficult to administer, is: Do those served grow as persons? Do they, while being served, become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, more likely themselves to become servants? And, what is the effect on the least privileged in society? Will they benefit or at least not be further deprived?“
Sarcasm: The use of irony to mock or convey contempt… Anyone who has suffered from the sarcastic remarks of others will not be too surprised to learn that sarcasm, “a cutting remark,” comes from a Greek verb, sarkazein, that literally means “to tear flesh like a dog.” Very early, though, this Greek verb came to mean “to bite one’s lip in rage,” and “to gnash one’s teeth,” and finally “to sneer.”
The Greek noun sarkasmos, from which the English sarcasm comes, meant “a sneering or hurtful remark.” But even today sarcasm is often described as sharp, cutting, or wounding, recalling in a faint way the original meaning of the Greek verb.
Sarcasm: The use of irony to mock or convey contempt… Anyone who has suffered from the sarcastic remarks of others will not be too surprised to learn that sarcasm, “a cutting remark,” comes from a Greek verb, sarkazein, that literally means “to tear flesh like a dog.” Very early, though, this Greek verb came to mean “to bite one’s lip in rage,” and “to gnash one’s teeth,” and finally “to sneer.”
The Greek noun sarkasmos, from which the English sarcasm comes, meant “a sneering or hurtful remark.” But even today sarcasm is often described as sharp, cutting, or wounding, recalling in a faint way the original meaning of the Greek verb.
Swami Mukundananda was at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) on October 12th, 2011 to deliver an enlightening talk on the topic of “Technology for Mind Management”. The lecture was followed by Q/A session.
He brings alive ancient truths and wisdom from the Vedic scriptures; synthesizing them with modern thought and scientific theories. His logic, wit, humor, and profound message have brought a sense of clarity and purpose to countless souls.
Enabling others to act is one of the five principles of leadership called out by Jim Kouses and Barry Posner in their book, The Leadership Challenge. One aspect of enabling others to act is knowing how to delegate, but it is much more and is deeply intertwined with the other four principles: Creating an inspired vision, Modeling the way, Challenging the Process and encouraging the heart.
So what does Enabling others to act mean beyond simple delegation? First, let’s spend a few minutes on the art of delegation. How many times have you sat at the top of an organization and not wanted to turn loose of a task because it seems it would be easier and quicker to yourself; or the team is already working so hard and you don’t want to burden them; or you don’t trust that it will be done exactly how you want it done; or it’s something you really enjoy doing and so you do it yourself even though there are more pressing matters at hand; or you have no clue how to do the task and you don’t want to embarrass yourself by asking for help. I could go in, but you get the point.
No one is perfect… At times I try and shield my people from a messy task and not to overload them. Sometimes these tasks belong on my desk and so I’m on track for not delegating. On the other hand, what have I done if I do not delegate something that should rightfully be delegated? First, I have shortchanged the organization and possibly put the company in jeopardy by spending time on the task rather than keeping my eye on the bigger picture such as focusing on the organization’s strategy and direction. Second, and more importantly, I have robbed someone from the opportunity to learn by doing or shine by doing.
What are some of the other aspects of enabling others to act? For most this may be a blinding glimpse of the obvious… Ask yourself, do my people have the right equipment, materials, organization structure, training and development, atmosphere and culture within which to work, are they safe both physically and emotionally… can they relate to, and have they bought into, the company vision, and can they step out with new ideas and raise issues without fear. There are many more questions along these lines, and so much more that can be said.
Suffice it to say, enabling others to act is worth any good person’s time to reflect upon as it relates to how they lead their team.
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Daily Om – Releasing Guilt: Permission to Forgive Ourselves
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