Everyone Needs to Look Up Now and Then

This is certainly an odd title, "Everyone Needs to Look Up Now and Then."  I finished working with one of my clients the other night when I for some odd reason sat on the couch and looked up. I had been in this room many times but never noticed the beautiful fan fixture and high arched ceiling.  At that moment it struck me that we go through our every day life focused on what we have to do and at times miss seeing things around us.  Some of these things we miss are inconsequential; however, not everything.  What could you learn from visually looking up?

Everyone from time to time gets caught up in what they are doing.  In many cases, you need to be focused to complete your task.  However, looking up should have a deeper fulfillment and meaning. The next day after noticing the ceiling fan, I looked up at the sky.  No I mean really "looked."  My conclusion was a reminder of the complexity and beauty that surround us. It is humbling when you consider your small contribution to an already existent dynamic world. Why consider the quality of humility?

For the most part, people are taught to be assertive and strong.  That's fine at the right time. Yet, the quality of humility should lace your life.  A humble person considers other people and their feelings. Their speech and tone is considerate and not arrogant when dealing in various situations. Being humble, let's not forget kind, will positively affect your life.  Humility allows you to tap into the challenges others face. When other people feel you care, communication opens up. When communication opens, your world changes.  This applies in every situation in life.

Employed or unemployed, look up now and then.  Allow yourself to try and understand the bigger picture of things surrounding you.  See that the world around you is dynamic, complex, and intriguing. Slow down, look up, and connect with the smaller less noticeable things in life which may make a huge difference in your life.  Oh, and when you do look up, make sure you know why the sky is blue!

How to Be Happy Unemployed

Can you be unemployed and happy at the same time?  Of course you can.  You may not be thrilled with the fact that you have lost your job, bills still need to be paid, resumes galore must be sent out and the third-degree type interviews are bound to happen.  However, as I have said several times on this blog, life does go on. How can you be happy while unemployed or underemployed in a world based on financial success is all in how you view your success in life.

Do not measure your success or happiness by what you have or don't have.  Success should be measured by your character and your integrity.  Good character and integrity are priceless. Oddly though financial success, or striving for it, has given way to the broken character of many men over the centuries. So what does that mean to you?  You may have lost a job, or are very under-employed, but it is your integrity along with positive character-building qualities that count. Take inventory. How does your inner core values stand up to these questions?

• Although unemployed, would you take a job that was against all your core principles or values because the money was good?
• Would you tell the truth about a matter if it meant losing your bonus?
• What comes first in your life?... God, family, money, or self?
• Do you believe good honest work at a lower pay rate is honorable if it is not illegal or immoral? Better yet, how do you view people working these type of jobs?
• Do you find yourself losing your temper more often since you lost your job?
• Are you less patient at this time in your life with your children, or your spouse?
• What positive character traits, i.e. honesty, loyalty, commitment, and sincerity do you value the most?
• Are you so consumed with your own situation that you cannot or have not shown compassion to ones in need?

Just points everyone, regardless of being employed or not, should consider. Your view of success goes hand-in-hand with happiness.  Sticking to your true core values (hopefully, they are good ones), and recognizing them, will give you contentment which equals happiness.  If you get a chance read this poem I wrote a while back. It sheds light on who we really are...  Inside Out