The Facts vs. The Truth

“There’s a world of difference between truth and facts. Facts can obscure the truth.”

Maya Angelou

Fact: A lot is going on right now, and I don’t have time to write a daily blog post.  

Truth: I am a better leader, learner, and thinker when I take the time to write.

Fact: I have a limited and finite amount of time; I have to ensure that I spend it in a manner that maximizes return on invested time.

Truth: Writing clarifies my thinking, and the returns compound over time.

Fact: I don’t know how many people will ever read or be impacted by what I write.

Truth: I will…

Are you throwing pebbles?

“Nothing succeeds like success. Get a little success, and then just get a little more.”

Maya Angelou

 Momentum is a powerful force. If you throw enough pebbles at the top of the mountain, it will eventually become an avalanche. So you have to stay with it. Success begets success! 

Do you have the courage to invest in the quality of your own mind?

“Courage is the most important of all the virtues, because without courage you can’t practice any other virtue consistently. You can practice any virtue erratically, but nothing consistently without courage.”

Maya Angelou

Courage = “the quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain, etc., without fear; bravery.”

I love the specific phrase “the quality of mind or spirit that enables a person” from the definition above. How is the quality of your mind right now? What are you doing to enhance it? Do you know how or what to do to improve in this area? How can you demonstrate courage when needed if you aren’t intentionally caring for the quality of your mind or spirit daily?  

It is interesting to think that one needs courage to practice any other virtue consistently. But to have courage, one must have a strong quality of mind or spirit. To accomplish this seemingly circular argument, you must have the fortitude to look in the mirror and hold yourself accountable for doing whatever it takes to heighten the quality of your own spirit. If you don’t, then you are choosing by omission to live a weak life, lacking in courage…

Build on defeat…

“You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it.”

Maya Angelou

Every defeat is an opportunity to become stronger, to become better.

Every rising again is a rebirth as a slightly better version of oneself.

Seek out defeats. Seek out opportunities to fail. Seek out challenges bigger and better than you are ready for right now. For tomorrow you will rise up stronger and higher because of the defeats of today.

Tomorrow isn’t defined by today’s defeats, it is built upon them.

Fake Truth…

“There’s a world of difference between truth and facts. Facts can obscure the truth.”

Maya Angelou

Oh how true this is. It reminds me of the old saying “numbers never lie, but liars use numbers.” The “facts” that we take to be truth are flavored by so many things, including the lens of our own perception and experiences. Be careful taking the “facts” as they are presented and assuming they represent the “truth.” You just might fight that your understanding of the facts has created a “fake truth.”

Thanksgiving 2019

“Be present in all things and thankful for all things.”

Maya Angelou

The beauty of gratitude is that it pulls you into the present moment. To be grateful you must be aware and the richness of the world that exists around you right now. To be thankful for all the blessings you have requires that you let go of the temptation to live for the future and revel in the richness of the present moment.

On this Thanksgiving Day take the time to pause and be fully present and aware of the incredible blessings that you have been blessed with. It is a beautiful day! Happy Thanksgiving!

Where do you find the truth?

“There’s a world of difference between truth and facts. Facts can obscure the truth.”

Maya Angelou

I’ve long believed in the old saying: “In the mind of the believer a perception is a fact.” The “truth” is created because of the facts we want to believe in, even if they aren’t true.  The facts we choose to believe, or the ones that we seek out, can obscure the real truth from us.  

That is why it is so important to get perspective from others.  We need insight from people that don’t see the world the same way we do.  Only through searching out other ‘facts’ can we ensure that we are seeing the truth.  

Who do you go to to help find clarity and perspective?  Who’s perceptions do you trust?

Waste of energy…

“What you’re supposed to do when you don’t like a thing is change it. If you can’t change it, change the way you think about it. Don’t complain.”
 
Maya Angelou
 

Why exert effort on an immovable object? I think this applies to complaining about things that you can’t change.  In fact, complaining as a rule is a waste of effort and energy.  I can’t think of one time in life where I have felt better for having complained without then taking some action to create change.  Complaints because you just have to be heard don’t result in change.  So why bother?

 

 

Complaining is an investment in negative energy…

“Watch yourself about complaining. What you’re supposed to do when you don’t like a thing is change it. If you can’t change it, change the way you think about it.”

Maya Angelou

I love how this quote frames out there are only two paths forward from a complaint.  Change it, or change yourself.  That’s it.  Once you have invested the energy (think about that for a minute…) into complaining about something you only have two action oriented choices.  Of course you could continue to complain and wallow in misery but that’s your own choice if you decide to do so and generating a positive return from that energy is practically impossible.

I’ve found that approaching this with the perspective of an investor can be incredibly impactful.  Ask yourself; “is this investment of my precious energy and time into complaining about something going to result in a positive action or outcome?”  If the answer to this questions is “no”, then why would you continue to invest in something with a negative return?   Change the situation or change yourself.  If the answer is “yes,” then the automatic next question is “so what are you going to do about it?”

 If you are going to use the finite energy you have in life to complain about something will you take the next step?  Will you own the reason for the complaint and do something about it?  Easier said than done of course.  But most things worth doing are…  

Take a day…

“Each person deserves a day away in which no problems are confronted, no solutions searched for. Each of us needs to withdraw from the cares which will not withdraw from us.”

Maya Angelou

How is it that you recharge?  What do you like to do that helps you relax and refresh so that you can step back into the fray with your full focus and effort?  

I will fully admit that I am not good at all at doing what Maya outlines above.  My mind is always working on something and it is typically about work in some way.  Frankly, my best thinking, the time when I can achieve the most clarity, is when I have changed environments and given myself the space to think through relaxation and rest.  Research has shown again and again that the brain functions at it’s peak ability when it is properly rested and refreshed.  

Find a way to give yourself a break and disconnect from the challenges you face for a day.  They just might not look as daunting when you come back…

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dusty

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