Knowing Yourself
http://www.refresher.com/mindfulnetwork/articlelive/articles/741/1/Knowing-Yourself/Page1.html
Jim Stovall
Jim
Stovall is the president of Narrative Television Network, as well as a
published author of many books including The Ultimate Gift. He is also a
columnist and motivational speaker. He may be reached at 5840 South Memorial Drive, Suite 312, Tulsa,
OK 74145-9082,
or by e-mail at Jim@JimStovall.com By Jim Stovall
Published on 12/1/2010
As you may know, I have been dedicating a series of these columns to the memory of my friend and mentor, the late, great Coach John Wooden. Coach Wooden passed away earlier this year, just a few months before his 100th birthday. He leaves behind a huge hole in humanity but an immense legacy of wisdom. He was fond of saying, “Adversity is a state in which man mostly becomes easily acquainted with himself, being especially free of admirers then.”
Knowing Yourself
As you may know, I have been dedicating a series of these columns to the memory of my friend and mentor, the late, great Coach John Wooden. Coach Wooden passed away earlier this year, just a few months before his 100th birthday. He leaves behind a huge hole in humanity but an immense legacy of wisdom.
My career in television, movies, books, and these columns have given me the opportunity to meet many prominent people. Coach John Wooden may have the distinction of being the most accomplished person in his chosen field that I ever met while also remaining the most humble person I have ever encountered. I think he found the limelight to be a distraction as he pursued his life’s work.
He was fond of saying, “Adversity is a state in which man mostly becomes easily acquainted with himself, being especially free of admirers then.”
It is particularly critical to be honest in all of our endeavors. Honesty is a fundamental building block of any lasting achievement. While we must be honest with our family, friends, and colleagues, it is most critical that we be honest with ourselves. Most acts of dishonesty begin with the first lie which is the one we tell ourselves.
Any achievement, development, or improvement that we ever experience will begin with, first, undergoing an honest, self-assessment of our present position. Many people fail to move ahead because they can never be totally honest with themselves with respect to where they currently are.
This honest assessment requires us to be fully accountable and take total responsibility for our present state. If we continue to blame other people around us, economic conditions, governmental policies, institutionalized bigotry, or any other outside force, we can never be fully accountable and honest with ourselves. Please understand, I’m not saying that outside forces do not work on us. I’m saying that we cannot give them credit for our current condition, or we give up control of our future possibilities to other people and factors.
I understand that bad things happen to good people, and each of us faces obstacles, challenges, and barriers. In the midst of these obstacles, challenges, and barriers, we can grow as people and begin to better understand ourselves.
This new understanding creates the basis for future achievement. Only the people who will accept responsibility for their past and be honest about their present can craft their own future.
As you go through your day today, embrace adversity as a way to better know yourself. You may begin to like the person you see in the mirror a little more.
Today’s the day!
My career in television, movies, books, and these columns have given me the opportunity to meet many prominent people. Coach John Wooden may have the distinction of being the most accomplished person in his chosen field that I ever met while also remaining the most humble person I have ever encountered. I think he found the limelight to be a distraction as he pursued his life’s work.
He was fond of saying, “Adversity is a state in which man mostly becomes easily acquainted with himself, being especially free of admirers then.”
It is particularly critical to be honest in all of our endeavors. Honesty is a fundamental building block of any lasting achievement. While we must be honest with our family, friends, and colleagues, it is most critical that we be honest with ourselves. Most acts of dishonesty begin with the first lie which is the one we tell ourselves.
Any achievement, development, or improvement that we ever experience will begin with, first, undergoing an honest, self-assessment of our present position. Many people fail to move ahead because they can never be totally honest with themselves with respect to where they currently are.
This honest assessment requires us to be fully accountable and take total responsibility for our present state. If we continue to blame other people around us, economic conditions, governmental policies, institutionalized bigotry, or any other outside force, we can never be fully accountable and honest with ourselves. Please understand, I’m not saying that outside forces do not work on us. I’m saying that we cannot give them credit for our current condition, or we give up control of our future possibilities to other people and factors.
I understand that bad things happen to good people, and each of us faces obstacles, challenges, and barriers. In the midst of these obstacles, challenges, and barriers, we can grow as people and begin to better understand ourselves.
This new understanding creates the basis for future achievement. Only the people who will accept responsibility for their past and be honest about their present can craft their own future.
As you go through your day today, embrace adversity as a way to better know yourself. You may begin to like the person you see in the mirror a little more.
Today’s the day!