What's in it for me?

The more I observe my immediate world and view network corporate news the more I see an underlying theme. What’s in it for me? While this is a valid question, it shows more about the person asking it than it is able to give an answer to that person. As was said in an episode of “Kung Fu” I once saw, “Seek not the answer, but seek to understand the question” seems to apply here. If you understand why you are asking the question, it will reveal what your values are. If you are only concerned about yourself, your ego is in command. Remember, ego is Edging God Out. If you look at life from a God-like perspective, you take others into account. You temper your actions based on what is good for others as well as yourself. As Spock from Star Trek once said, “The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few; or the one.”

Asking yourself the right questions of is of prime importance. Look at what currently exists in your life and ask, “Is this all there is?” Is this what I truly want? What can I do to make the life that I deeply desire? Ask the right questions. Socrates answered questions with questions. It is known in philosophy as the Socratic Dialectic. Students would approach him with well thought out questions expecting sage answers and were posed even deeper questions by Socrates. Socrates knew that in order to get to the root of the question, one has to dig deeper. The only way to dig deeper is to keep asking quality questions. Do you ask yourself quality questions? Do you ask yourself any questions at all? If you don’t, then you are on the path to mediocrity. Mediocrity is the state where you are barely adequate, or we could say inferior. There is on old saying, “How can a fool make another wise.” If you are operating from an inferior state of being, how can you hope to get to a superior state of being without questioning the results you now experience? Asking yourself quality questions is the doorway to a better life for you and those around you.

We are not islands. We are social animals that need interaction, growth and a sense of accomplishment. Without these superior qualities we will stagnate, get depressed, and suffer inaction. What is it that you could do differently right now that could make a major positive change in your life? Are you willing to do this in order to traverse the pathway from inferiority to superiority? As the saying goes, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” What steps are you choosing? Are you on a pathway toward the light or away from the light? It is so easy for all of us to slip into mediocrity. It takes the willingness to become a better person in order to ask the tough questions.

And what about change? Do we really march toward change? Most people don’t really change. They rearrange people, places and things in their lives to accommodate their values. True change requires a mindset of truth. Being honest with yourself and knowing yourself is the first step toward true change. If your environment doesn’t reflect the state you desire to be in then you need to pro-act true change! How do you do this? By asking the hard questions you reveal your true values. Once you arrive at a knowing of your true values, acting on behalf of those values becomes much easier. Find a coach, get motivational CD’s, or seek out biographies on role models. See what they had to do to actualize their potential. The pathway is much easier to travel when you know where you are going. Have a great trip!!!

For more info: Download my free Wilmington Spirituality Examiner toolbar. “Life is a gift. Be thankful for it and it will be replete with abundance. Encourage others to express creativity, release negativity and embrace pro-activity." Dean A. Banks, MCIWD, DD can be reached at webproducer@hotmail.com or banksnet.com. Download my free eBook on Articles 1-10 here.