Good am Global Villagers:
My heart is heavy today. I read a blog yesterday titled, Why Do People Share Private Information On Social Media? This blog stirred up several concerns for me. The blogger posed a series of questions, which were "Why do people share private information to begin with?...Is it loneliness? Is it just attention seeking?"
When I read these questions I had to stop myself from becoming judgmental towards the blogger because I understand that there was a purpose for the blog: to reach teenagers and to warn people of the consequences of engaging in unacceptable behaviors within the global village.
However, being a human services practitioner, I have worked with numerous people that are lonely due to estranged familial relationships or poor interpersonal skills based on some form of childhood trauma. For some people, social media networks have become a part of their group identity. It offers them a sense of connectivity and belongingness.
The other point I want to bring up is that we all need attention. We all seek positive reinforcement, and we all need positive affirmation. I believe to some extent each of us can be selfish. We all expect reciprocity from the relationships we are involved in. This idea is supported by Maslow's theory of human motivation. Our self-worth and self-esteem increase when we are affiliated with others.
With that being stated, I do not disagree with the blogger. It can be dangerous to share personal information, whether it is with one person or within the global village. We all take risks in sharing who we are with others. This is the reason why we must be comfortable within ourselves. Self-acceptance prevents us from being affected by others if they decide to mishandle us through judgment, criticism, or gossip.
Thus, I want to challenge you to introspectively seek within yourself and decide what you are comfortable with sharing. Ask yourself, "What have I overcome in this life? Am I ready to share that victory with others to help them overcome their struggles?" After answering these questions, and then as you feel led, share yourself with others. They need to hear your voice of triumph. Let helping others be your human motivation for sharing yourself. It is up to them how they perceive you and what they do with the information you share. Regardless of what they do, we must share ourselves anyway.
Why?
Because you were created with greatness!
Friday, June 10, 2011
Thursday, June 9, 2011
The Greatness In Each Of Us
Good am Global Villagers:
Yesterday, the Founder of my professional social networking group, Urban Angels, LLC, posted a question on Facebook in reference to being in love with a special person that is not destined to be a life partner. I received the text notification of the post while I was at the hospital visiting my special friend. All I could say to myself was, "Wow, I am affiliated with the right group at the right time in my life."
I am currectly dealing with this very real life situation. My special friend is a great man. He is caring, loving, considerate, passionate, giving, forgiving, honest, thoughtful, dedicated, committed, and he loves me. Yet, I know that despite of all of these wonderful attributes that each of us, whether male or female, want in a life partner he is not my destined husband.
Knowing who you are, trusting the greatness that lies within you, and following the Directed Path all come with a great price. Sometimes that price consists of the heart-wrenching renegotiation of the terms of certain relationships. Whether it is a childhood best friend, co-worker, or business partner, each of us will face the decision of letting go of an un-destined person, regardless of our feelings.
Out of the many lessons that my special friend has taught me, the greatest lesson is that just because someone is not destined to be a life partner does not discredit the greatness that lies within him/her.
I want to encourage those of you who have given up on finding a life partner. Please take note that there are great people in this world. A part of following the Directed Path means that we have to guard ourselves by not jumping on the first train smoking, even if it does say, "Next Stop: Philadelphia." What if that Amtrak train is scheduled to stop at 30th Street Station, but the Broad Street Terminal is closer to your destination? Selah. (Pause and calmly think about that.)
I dedicate this blog to my special friend. I love and appreciate you! Why? Because you exude with greatness!
Yesterday, the Founder of my professional social networking group, Urban Angels, LLC, posted a question on Facebook in reference to being in love with a special person that is not destined to be a life partner. I received the text notification of the post while I was at the hospital visiting my special friend. All I could say to myself was, "Wow, I am affiliated with the right group at the right time in my life."
I am currectly dealing with this very real life situation. My special friend is a great man. He is caring, loving, considerate, passionate, giving, forgiving, honest, thoughtful, dedicated, committed, and he loves me. Yet, I know that despite of all of these wonderful attributes that each of us, whether male or female, want in a life partner he is not my destined husband.
Knowing who you are, trusting the greatness that lies within you, and following the Directed Path all come with a great price. Sometimes that price consists of the heart-wrenching renegotiation of the terms of certain relationships. Whether it is a childhood best friend, co-worker, or business partner, each of us will face the decision of letting go of an un-destined person, regardless of our feelings.
Out of the many lessons that my special friend has taught me, the greatest lesson is that just because someone is not destined to be a life partner does not discredit the greatness that lies within him/her.
I want to encourage those of you who have given up on finding a life partner. Please take note that there are great people in this world. A part of following the Directed Path means that we have to guard ourselves by not jumping on the first train smoking, even if it does say, "Next Stop: Philadelphia." What if that Amtrak train is scheduled to stop at 30th Street Station, but the Broad Street Terminal is closer to your destination? Selah. (Pause and calmly think about that.)
I dedicate this blog to my special friend. I love and appreciate you! Why? Because you exude with greatness!
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Be Great Anyway!
Happy Hump Day Global Villagers!!
Today's discussion was inspired by a poem I read yesterday titled, 'Anyway'. The author is unknown; however, the words of the poem were written on Mother Teresa's wall in Calcutta. This poem reminded me that I was created with a great purpose that must be fulfilled anyway.
From this point forward, I will allow the poem to speak for itself.
Because you were created with greatness!
Today's discussion was inspired by a poem I read yesterday titled, 'Anyway'. The author is unknown; however, the words of the poem were written on Mother Teresa's wall in Calcutta. This poem reminded me that I was created with a great purpose that must be fulfilled anyway.
From this point forward, I will allow the poem to speak for itself.
People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self centered,
Forgive them anyway
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives
Be kind anyway
If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies
Succeed anyway
If you are honest and sincere, people may deceive you
Be honest and sincere anyway
What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight
Create anyway
If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous
Be happy anyway
The good you do today, will often be forgotten
Do good anyway
Give the best you have, and it will never be enough
Give your best anyway
In the final analysis, it is between you and God
It was never between you and them anyway
Why?Because you were created with greatness!
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
The "P" Word
Remember as children, even sometimes now as adults, we were told, "You have to crawl before you walk." Boy, I now have a deeper understanding of what my elders were trying to convey to me.
Everything in life is a process. As my BFF says, "The process, the "P" word we all love to hate." During my times of intro- and retrospection, I arrived at this place in my life in stages. There were a serious of events that occurred to either move, lead, drag, or catapult me from one stage to another. Unbeknownst to me at the time, all of the events were working together for me to be right here, right now.
I know that you have probably said at one time or another, "time is of the essence." Well, time is of the essence, is actually a legal phrase. In layman's terms, it means that two parties have agreed upon specified time and dates to complete an assigned task and any delay of completion will be grounds for cancelling the agreement (The Legal Dictionary/Free Dictionary). We often use this phrase within our daily functions, but we must remember that everything takes time. Cultivating a loving marriage, earning a master's degree, building a successful business, grieving the loss of a loved one, losing weight, healing a broken leg, etc. The list goes on.
Time is of the essence if you are using it unproductively. So, I encourage you to use your time wisely and trust the process of life as you discover who you are, your place in the world, and even in this global village.
Why?
Because you were created with greatness!
Everything in life is a process. As my BFF says, "The process, the "P" word we all love to hate." During my times of intro- and retrospection, I arrived at this place in my life in stages. There were a serious of events that occurred to either move, lead, drag, or catapult me from one stage to another. Unbeknownst to me at the time, all of the events were working together for me to be right here, right now.
I know that you have probably said at one time or another, "time is of the essence." Well, time is of the essence, is actually a legal phrase. In layman's terms, it means that two parties have agreed upon specified time and dates to complete an assigned task and any delay of completion will be grounds for cancelling the agreement (The Legal Dictionary/Free Dictionary). We often use this phrase within our daily functions, but we must remember that everything takes time. Cultivating a loving marriage, earning a master's degree, building a successful business, grieving the loss of a loved one, losing weight, healing a broken leg, etc. The list goes on.
Time is of the essence if you are using it unproductively. So, I encourage you to use your time wisely and trust the process of life as you discover who you are, your place in the world, and even in this global village.
Why?
Because you were created with greatness!
Monday, June 6, 2011
Blind Faith??
Blind faith?? Isn't that an oxymoron?
Merrian-Webster's Learner Dictionary gives the example that faith is accepting something as true without proof or evidence. This translates that we may not understand or have the resources or information that we need at the present time to see how things will work out. We simply trust that they will.
Another way of looking at faith is the belief in what has not manifested or can be experienced with the natural senses. Our imagination and understanding have eyes. Everything that we experience with our natural senses began with a thought. For instance, I thought about today's blog topic before I sat down and started typing. Someone thought about the design of the device, whether it is a laptop, cell phone, or IPad, that you are using to read this blog. Thus, there is no such thing as blind faith. With the eyes of our imagination and understanding, we possess the proof and evidence of everything that there is to experience in this life.
The most powerful thing that you possess are your thoughts. They are responsible for your sucesses or failures. They create your wealth or cause you to remain in poverty. You can live in the gutter or the penthouse. It's all in your thoughts. Do you want your circumstances to change? If so, then change what you see with the eyes of your imagination and understanding.
If you can see it, then we will see it.
Why?
Because you were created with greatness!!
Merrian-Webster's Learner Dictionary gives the example that faith is accepting something as true without proof or evidence. This translates that we may not understand or have the resources or information that we need at the present time to see how things will work out. We simply trust that they will.
Another way of looking at faith is the belief in what has not manifested or can be experienced with the natural senses. Our imagination and understanding have eyes. Everything that we experience with our natural senses began with a thought. For instance, I thought about today's blog topic before I sat down and started typing. Someone thought about the design of the device, whether it is a laptop, cell phone, or IPad, that you are using to read this blog. Thus, there is no such thing as blind faith. With the eyes of our imagination and understanding, we possess the proof and evidence of everything that there is to experience in this life.
The most powerful thing that you possess are your thoughts. They are responsible for your sucesses or failures. They create your wealth or cause you to remain in poverty. You can live in the gutter or the penthouse. It's all in your thoughts. Do you want your circumstances to change? If so, then change what you see with the eyes of your imagination and understanding.
If you can see it, then we will see it.
Why?
Because you were created with greatness!!
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