Lady Luck Consulting, LLC

Monday, October 28, 2013

OCTOBER IS AWARENESS MONTH: "He who knows others is wise. He who knows himself is enlightened."~Lao Tzu






Riiiight...? Uh no.  Life would be so much simpler if memes like this were true. Memes provide temporary relief through lightheartedness or sarcasm or humor. We all love 'em... well most of us do.

The month of October is a month of AWARENESS that covers many themes:
  • October is Down Syndrome Awareness Month!
  • October is National Spina Bifida Awareness Month
  • October is National Information Literacy Awareness Month
  • Breast Cancer Awareness Month
  • National Apple Month
  • National Physical Therapy Month
  • Eye Safety and Injury Prevention Month
  • NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim October 2013 as National Domestic Violence
And the one I endlessly promote, Pit Bull Awareness Month.

Are we feeling AWARE yet? This doesn't even include the awareness weeks or days that also take place during the month of October. I probably even missed a few. I definitely have a theme going this month and it's been across the board - professionally, personally, even romantically - which brought me to the questions about awareness:

Are you about to RUIN it for everyone else?

OR

Will your actions make it BETTER for everyone else?

Does "everyone else" even matter to you?  In my mind, they do and call it non-youthful wisdoem but with time and experience comes clarity and with wisdom comes compassion as I wholeheartedly ascribe to this quote by Robert Baden-Powell:

"Leave this world a little better than you found it."

So although I would like to announce and promote a national campaign called "Quit Ruining it for Everyone Else Awareness Month," (week or day), let's just discuss it here. I could elaborate with anecdotal instances and experiences as examples of what I am speaking to, but I think we can all muster up our own examples along with feelings of being slighted, ignored, overlooked, unheard or blatantly being disregarded that leave you feeling frustrated or lashing out. The bottom line is that as humans we seek fairness; that things need to just, equitable, honest, upright, honorable, trustworthy. So let me pause and ask that instead of pointing fingers at your colleagues, your co-workers, your volunteers or your family members, I am going to ask that you instead reflect inward.  It's a difficult concept to truly grasp and put into place, but consider the only person whom you have control over and sit with this for a moment;

Only YOU are responsible for YOUR choices.

Choices have consequences not only for the choice-makers but those who are affected by those choices.  I have learned, sometimes painfully, sometimes at the expense of my own ego, to
STOP.
THINK.
(usually) BREATHE.
Then ACT (or not) upon the answers I've gained through posing those questions above to myself.

Once you gain clarity (and IMAGINE if everyone else gained the same type of clarity) how much easier our business and personal dealings would become?

We can all try to be a little more AWARE, right?


BLOG POST AUTHORED BY: Julie Miller, President of Lady Luck Consulting
 

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