Better World

 

“It is only when you have mastered the art of loving yourself that you can truly love others. It’s only when you have opened your own heart that you can touch the hearts of others. When you feel centered and alive, you are in a much better position to be a better person.” ~ Robin Sharma

I discovered Robin Sharma’s works in my twenties when I read his first book ‘The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari’. I have since bought most of his books and have been on his mailing list for decades. In that time, I have gleaned a ton of leadership and personal development wisdom from him that has proved timeless.

Last week I saw one of his posts on Instagram and thought I’d expound on how I understand his message in that post. The post was titled 10 rules for a better world and the rules are as follows:

·         Make yourself a better person

It goes without saying that the better you become, the more improvement your interactions with everything around you become, and don’t we all want to live and work with a better version of everyone?

·         Take responsibility for your actions

I don’t subscribe to Shaggy’s philosophy of ‘It Wasn’t Me’. Adulting 101 teaches that life is much easier if you own up and shoulder the responsibility for your actions. You learn faster, heal faster and court less conflict if you just own up and let the chips fall where they may.

·         Stop following the flock

On a recent trip to Kinangop, our matatu driver had to make an emergency stop at the flyover just after you get off the highway. A herd of about 200 sheep had just decided to take off at breakneck speed across the road, following the lead male sheep that had suddenly got interested in something on the other side of the road. Not one of them stopped to ask why they were crossing the road or if it was safe to do so at that time. They all just put their woolly heads down and broke into a run. Now imagine yourself as one of them. . .! Insulting. Yes, don’t follow the flock. You have a functional brain, use it.

·         Only release beautiful work

This, of all the 10 rules, bothers me the most. I dabble in many crafts and I’m also a perfectionist and tend to get bothered if something is not perfect by my [usually higher than industry] standards. So I tend to put a lot of thought into what I do and most times more than thought, several retakes to get it right. So I’m not sure if this rule is validation or more pressure. However, I do know that it feels good to get a product that is well done and thought out so why would I want to put out less into the world? And especially if the item will outlive me, I want to leave a witness to diligence and attention to detail when I’m gone.

·         Treat everyone with respect and kindness

Do unto others as you would have them do to you is the rule here. Very simple, but extremely difficult too. People do not evoke the same reactions from us all the time. And therein lies the problem. I might be snarky with a person who always seems out to fish the demons from me and nice with another one that always has a smile for me. Mindfulness is the key here – where are you in your attention when dealing with people? Are you running tapes of your last interaction as you engage or are you present in the moment in which you are engaging this time?

·         Read books of wisdom

Being an ardent reader myself, this is a no-brainer. New books are written every day and I will never be able to read everything in my library (though I might use that as a bargaining chip with my maker for a longer life). Books are the best life teachers out there. There’s nothing you are experiencing that has not been written about. And the best thing about learning from a book is that there’s anonymity and zero judgment. Have you figured out the content and size of your reading list for next year?

·         Clean up your messes

Not an enjoyable exercise but a necessary one for those around you, as well as for you if you plan on coming back to where you created the mess in the first place. For me, it’s usually my kitchen. Baking and soap-making are all messy crafts. If I don’t plan to clean up immediately after, I’ll end up with a pile of hard-to-clean utensils and a hard-to-navigate kitchen. The same goes for life, if we don’t clean up our messes, someone gets to trip on them. And while that someone may be out there, it might also be you who breaks an ankle on that mess. Clean up.

·         Cherish mother nature

A hike anyone? Forest bathing, barefoot walking on the grass, a day spent at a forested park just breathing in pollen from different trees, the sound of a river falling down a rock. Nature has too many benefits for our health, especially mental health. Get out some time and experience the magic of early morning sunrise or watching a sunset over a lake, listening to the birds waking up, or breathing the fresh mountain air that you don’t find anywhere below 3,000 feet above sea level.

·         Remember how short life is

Loss of loved ones has been an all-too-present reality since 2020. And for most, there was no time to prepare, no goodbye, just a click, and they were gone. It is only by God’s grace that I’m still here and I have no timetable for how long I will be here. Make the most of every waking moment – it could be your last.

·         Give more than you take

The feeling you get when you watch someone receive something from you cannot be described. It can only be experienced. And it does come back, good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over. Try it this Christmas season.

“There are no mistakes in life, only lessons. There is no such thing as a negative experience, only opportunities to grow, learn and advance along the road of self-mastery. From struggle comes strength. Even pain can be a wonderful teacher.” ~ Robin Sharma