“Be the change you want to see.” – Gandhi
This quote has been speaking to me a lot lately. Especially when I find myself having thoughts of “This isn’t working” or “I wish so & so would call me”. Ever have thoughts like these? Or, maybe thoughts of “If only we had a woman for President” or “If only there was recycling at this campground”. I have thoughts like these all the time. One example of this happened just the other day. My cell phone stopped working. It would ring, but hang up as soon as I picked up. My initial reaction was to say, “I’m pissed! I need my phone. How will I do my work?”
Then, I remembered Gandhi – “Be the change you want to see.” I realized that this reaction was way too familiar and that it hasn’t helped in the past except to cause me (and others) misery.
So, I got curious and asked myself what I could do to create the change I want? The answers started pouring out. Well, I can take this opportunity to partner with Scott and share time on his phone. I also thought that this could be an opportunity to enjoy how life used to be before we relied so heavily on our phones. Another option I tried on is “What would it be like to accept and allow these things to be in the world?” Sometimes it just is. My cell phone stopped working. There is no deeper meaning.
There is no one way or even two ways to be with this situation. There are always several ways that we can respond to life’s circumstances. Another favorite quote of mine is from Marianne Williamson – “Our internal state determines the experience of our lives. Our experiences do not determine our internal state.” For me this quote deepens my understanding of the quote from Gandhi – it is up to us to create our experiences in the world. To choose how we respond to life’s interesting plot twists.
How will you be the change you want to see, today?
