Fourteen years ago, when I was seventeen years old, I hit rock bottom. Sadly, I became suicidal. In this incredibly difficult time, just before I was about to give up hope for good, I went into deep meditation. In this meditation – the deepest of my life – I went into a field of pure energy. I realized that everything is energy.
Although this happened a long time ago, I still think about this enlightening moment a lot. The reason for that is because I see so much dysfunction and strife in our world today. It’s a crazy place and it makes me sad. The meditation from fourteen years ago helps me to see past all of this nonsense in our world, remembering the ultimate truth that everything is energy (and love).
The world doesn’t have to be this crazy. We can encourage one another to be ourselves and have creative expression. We can acknowledge and support one another. And I don’t mean this in a cheesy way, but in a real and practical way:
- Teachers and administrators can become better and more caring in their jobs.
- Parents can learn to become much, much better parents.
- Judging and criticizing others no longer has to be the default setting.
And as beautiful as that may sound, it’s not the reality for many people on our planet. I’d like to acknowledge the reality while also point out that it doesn’t have to be as chaotic as we make it. Everything is a choice, and people often don’t realize that they are unconsciously choosing conflict over peace.
Conflict is not necessarily a bad thing, as we’re all entitled to our opinions and healthy disagreement is good. But the challenge with our world is that it’s constant, never-ending conflict.
Here’s the key: encourage others and be the example. Inspire others and care about them. Keep their best interests at heart. When and where possible, within reason, be kind. Instead of being discouraged by the dysfunction in our world, use it to light a fire in you. As you light the fire in others be leading by example and genuinely helping them, you in turn light their fire. A chain reaction goes off, and the world becomes a better place, one person, at a time.
Jeff Davis is an award-winning author, most recently publishing The Power of Authentic Leadership: Activating the 13 Keys to Achieving Prosperity Through Authenticity. He’s also an authentic leadership keynote speaker and Executive Coach to leaders and CEOs, offering individualized coaching. Follow him on Twitter.
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