In today’s world, we like to run things backwards. We like to have before we do, we like to do before we think, and we like to think instead of working on our being. The flow works much better this way:
being -> thinking -> doing -> having
Something for Nothing
We can have without doing by signing up for welfare. We buy lottery tickets hoping we can win it big. We work an angle with someone or a place of business hoping we can gain some advantage and get more value out than we put in. In the end, we don’t end up with the thriving life we really want, and we’re lonely because we’ve “used up” a lot of our relationships.
Ready! Fire! Aim!
We can do before we think, but we’ll often end up with mixed results. Like Zig Ziglar says, “If you aim at nothing, you’ll hit it every time.” Acting without planning just makes us busy. And most of us are very busy much of the time. If we are more strategic, perhaps we’d have time for more meaningful endeavors (d’oh! this message is for me too).
I Think
If we start with thinking, we’re a huge step up. Our thinking has a huge influence over our experience of life. What we think, also influences what we even consider doing. If we think life is a series of trials, we will keep looking for the next wham-o of life to arrive. We will spend all of our focus on just getting through. If we see life as a series of choices, we will be looking for choices and opportunities. If we see life as giving us no choices, we will look for reasons why it’s everyone else’s fault. If we see life as a series of blessings, we will look for God’s grace in everything. What we do will vary greatly depending on how we are thinking.
I Am
Thinking isn’t the end of the road, however. There’s one more step, which is our being. Our being will influence what we think. If we are the kind of person who has to be right at all costs, this will drive our thoughts, which drives what we do and influences what we have (I need to work on not worrying about being right so much too).
Other examples (just to name a few):
- We never speak up even when we see others walking into a “pit”
- We value others above ourselves because our self-worth is based on what others think of us
- We rarely keep our word, or never give our word for fear of breaking it
- We rarely take responsibility for our actions
When we work on our being, it will change how others experience us. And yes, I’m saying that we aren’t stuck with our current beingness. We can change these things about ourself.
Interestingly, all these things are inter-related. So, we can’t work on our being without working on our thinking and our doing. The things we own can affect our thoughts and influence what we do.
But our beingness is the most important thing on which to focus, as everything else flows from this. As we go from one situation to the next, it’s helpful to ask ourselves, “How did I show up? How did others’ experience me? What character qualities do I need to take on?”
What about you? If you’re courageous enough to share, what are you working on to improve your being?
