38 weeks 1 day ago
My {new} motivation
Author: Unknown Monk 1100 A.D.
When I was a young man, I wanted to change the world.I found it was difficult to change the world, so I tried to change my nation.
When I found I couldn't change the nation, I began to focus on my town. I couldn't change the town and as an older man, I tried to change my family.
Now, as an old man, I realize the only thing I can change is myself, and suddenly I realize that if long ago I had changed myself, I could have made an impact on my family. My family and I could have made an impact on our town. Their impact could have changed the nation and I could indeed have changed the world.
I've come to this poem before and the phrase has stuck with me since a commencement address that had a version of it in it. Yes, I actually didn't fall asleep at one of those and yes the speaker actually had an impact. Do I remember the speaker or even the commencement it was given at? No. But what's important is the impact that individual had on me.
Many will go their entirely life not realizing that the best way to control the world around them is to take control of their own life. I found my way to this answer about two years ago and I've been working to the end since then. I don't want to change the world directly... I want to change my world...which will change my family's world, which could change my friend's world... and so on and so on.
I thought I had it all figured out. I'd work really hard and change things in my sphere of influence and that would benefit me some how. About 7 months ago I realized I was wrong. It's no longer about me and changing the world for the betterment of me and my generation. It's about changing the world for my son so that he can enact an even greater change.
I believe very much in the concept of generational sin. Now I don't view this as a mark against your family kind of thing. What I see this as is that my actions today impact everyone downstream of me. If I live recklessly, spend all of our income and end up on the street today that has a directly adverse affect on my son and context of future generations coming from my blood-line.
So.. back to applying this to what I do every day. What Motivates me? My son's ability to change the world. Not the idea of what change I can make, I can only affect my block after-all, but what impact my impact can have. I hope that all my efforts and grand-schemes for the future can enact real, lasting change (everyone does). But it's not about changing things for me, it's about laying the groundwork of change for him.
This shift has been one of the most liberating things for me. I no longer get stuck in "ugh, what am I trying to accomplish" design hell that often plagued me in the past. I don't get discouraged in the same way I used to either attempting to change forces seemingly out of my control.
I am at peace. I can finally work towards something tangible -- a better future for my son.
