Things don’t always go as we’d like. Sometimes on this journey called life, it feels like nothing ever goes the way it should. That’s exactly when we need to stop, take a breath and put things back into perspective.
To get started, here’s a couple of my own: I’ve never had to go a day without enough to eat and on a few occasions I’ve been lucky enough to be charitable with others. I was blessed with parents who saw the benefit of a good education, and cared enough to help me get one. I’m fortunate to have been accepted into the chiropractic profession where we get to see the awe inspiring improvements in the people we work with every single day. As an educator in a leadership role, I gained the respect and admiration of honest colleagues, and even tasted the bitterness of betrayal by a few who hadn’t yet come to know integrity. For all of these experiences I remain thankful.
In presentations before graduating classes I used to quote the following verse that I hoped might help them on their journey.
“ANYWAY”
(Found written on the wall of Mother Teresa’s children’s home in Calcutta, this poem may have been originally composed by Kent Keith)
Mother Teresa
People are unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered…love them anyway.
If you do good people will accuse you of ulterior motives…do good anyway.
If you are successful you win false friends and true enemies…succeed anyway.
The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow…do good anyway.
Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable…be honest and frank anyway.
People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs…fight for some underdogs anyway.
What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight…build anyway.
People who need help may attack you for helping them…help people anyway.
No matter what you do or what you give, someone will not be happy with it…give your best anyway.
It all reminds me of something that Ralph Waldo Emerson said: “Happiness is a perfume which you cannot pour on someone without getting some on yourself.” I hope that his words helped to lift someone today.