Monarch Butterflies are stunning; remarkable… in simply being what they are. I noticed this one just today. It stood out. And it got me thinking on being and doing, oddly enough.
In The Fruits of Focus back in July of 2023, I shared that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá said, “So long as the thoughts of an individual are scattered he will achieve no results. But if his thinking be concentrated on a single point, wonderful will be the fruits thereof. Man cannot obtain the full force of the sunlight when it is cast upon a flat mirror. But once the sun shineth upon a concave mirror, or on a lens that is convex, all its heat will be concentrated on a single point, and that one point will burn the hottest. Thus it is necessary to focus one’s thinking on a single point, so that it will become an effective force.”
Then I took a year off from the Sharpen the Blades Blog Series here on my site. It was quite the Year of Change… and I chose to focus on that. A Year later in Live Present, Look Forward, I shared from Seneca:
“Putting things off is the biggest waste of life: it snatches away each day as it comes, and denies us the present by promising the future. The greatest obstacle to living is expectancy, which hangs upon tomorrow and loses today. You are arranging what lies in Fortune’s control, and abandoning what lies in yours. What are you looking at? To what goal are you straining? The whole future lies in uncertainty: live immediately.”
A month later, in August of 2024, in Call It a Mission, I shared Merlin Olsen’s Mission Statement…
“The focus of my life begins at home with family, loved ones and friends. I want to use my resources to create a secure environment that fosters love, learning, laughter and mutual success. I will protect and value integrity. I will admit and quickly correct my mistakes. I will be a self-starter. I will be a caring person. I will be a good listener with an open mind. I will continue to grow and learn. I will facilitate and celebrate the success of others.”
And earlier this month, in It is Us, Indeed, I shared that Marcus Aurelius said “Fix your eyes on what you have to do. Remember, you must be a good human being. Do what nature demands of you without hesitation. Speak what is just as you see it, but do so with courtesy, modesty, and sincerity.”
Marcus Aurelius also said, “Waste no more time arguing what a good man should be. Be one.”
So, ringing in my Soul right now are thoughts around Focus, Immediacy, Mission/Meaning and Action; another version of FIMA. Fierce focus on what matters most, with an ever better sense of heathy urgency, meaning and action. If I borrow from Merlin in saying…
The footprint I will leave behind is Humans Together Strong. The focus of my life begins and ends with Humans Together Strong.,, fiercely and “fun-ly” living the deep belief that the human spirit is powerful beyond understanding and that together we are stronger. That is manifested in my closest and most trusted relationships. It is manifested in who and how I serve. I intend to bring my own best sense of Character, Ability, Skill and Knowledge and all resources to relentlessly advance laughter, learning and Love… personally and professionally. In my work and Service as educator and entrepreneur, I choose to take good care of myself, my loved ones, and those I most consciously choose to serve. Indeed, I will Live and walk with Love, Honor, Idealism, Unity and Zeal… in my Faith, Health, and Service… in doing so. I choose to be a Simple Man living the real life… with meaning and Just Cause of (yes, indeed) Humans Together Strong.
… then I have something with which to work. With such an evolving mission in mind and heart, I can ever better focus my intentions and efforts on same, in the now and forward, being and doing accordingly. This is my FIMA, in progress, for progress. I humbly invite you to try your own hand and heart at crafting Mission/Meaning… and to Focus on same in the Now, and in daily Action.
Barry Lewis Green, The Unity Guy with Epic Engage.
CONSIDER
Developing Leadership Character – Ivey Business Journal
“Intelligence plus character—that is the goal of true education.” ― Martin Luther King Jr.
“Human greatness does not lie in wealth or power, but in character and goodness. People are just people, and all people have faults and shortcomings, but all of us are born with a basic goodness.” ― Anne Frank