“On matters of style, swim with the current; on matters of principle, stand like a rock.” —- Thomas Jefferson
Upon reading the above quote, have you consciously apprised during the course of your life if you have continued to go along to get along, or have you stood on the principle of who you are? It is not a difficult question, either you have consciously stood on principle or you took the path of least resistance. We’ve all known people like that in our lives. We have discovered them in our families, within our circle of friends, business associates, colleagues, in corporations, and in a myriad of connections we make every day. Perhaps you have never given this any thought . . . until now. It takes a great deal of present awareness, conscious clarity and individual courage to challenge an established perspective, perception, directive or framework of disposition. Are you in a place at the present time, palpably seeing or feeling that the matters of style and swimming with the current is tolerable? Or are you uncomfortable while existing in a situation where matters of principle are being questioned, compromised, altered, re-shaped, protracted, realigned. re-framed, or simply dismissed? Within the depths of your being, pulling up that conscious choice of will is the mandatory compliment to your essence, existence and being. Sir Winston Churchill shared these words as well . . . “Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.”
Throughout this life’s journey we will have so many challenges that will test our mettle, giving us the opportunity to become more than we thought we could ever be or accomplish. Our dreams as young children develop or fail, contingent on how the character and clarity of our consciousness is shaped, and the choices we made at every juncture of our lives. This is not anything new to the human race . . . it has been going on for centuries. What makes those individuals we may admire, deeply respect, hold in great esteem so different from the rest? Perhaps these words of Henry Ford may give us a clue . . . “Vision without execution is just hallucination.”
What makes you feel uncomfortable, unsure, insecure, lacking confidence or fearful? Once you figure that out, you usually realize it is in those places that you still need to grow or heal from past wounds. Whatever exists in your life at this moment, has been built brick upon brick . . . by you. You will have to stand eventually on principle with character, strength and courage. You won’t be alone . . . as becoming conscious perhaps for the first time is a reward in and of itself. Jumping off that cliff is for some terrorizing. Rest assured once that is accomplished, growth has truly begun and will continue supported by these words of Thomas Edison, “When you have exhausted all possibilities , remember this — you haven’t.” JLR