The Many Faces of Love

"A human being is part of a whole, called by us the Universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings, as something separated from the rest a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circles of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty." Albert Einstein

Like leadership, love has many faces and forms. Both are states of being that defy easy definitions or how-to formulas. Pianist, Arthur Rubinstein, describes one face of love, "I'm passionately involved in life: I love its change, its color, its movement. To be alive, to be able to see, to walk, to have houses, music, paintings it's all a miracle." Author and lecturer Leo Buscaglia outlines another face of love when talking about a contest he was asked to judge. The purpose of the contest was to find the most caring child. The winner was a four-year-old child whose next-door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife. Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there. When his mother asked him what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said, "Nothing, I just helped him cry."

Highly effective leaders are in love with the organization, community, or team that they work or live in. Their love is expressed in a deep desire to see that organization, community, or team grow to its full potential. Leaders love the people they work with enough to contribute to their growth and development. That doesn't mean we always like or agree with everyone. As with relatives, we often don't get to pick and chose neighbors, teammates, bosses, and the like. Some of them aren't people we'd invite to dinner or chose as a friend. However, leaders love their organization's greater purpose and see its products or services contributing to a bigger world that they love. That love and desire for growth and development extends to everyone involved.

Love of others starts with love of self. The desire to see others grow and develop starts with our own personal growth and development. If we're not leading a meaningful life, it's hard to help others find meaning. If we don't feel a sense of connection to a bigger purpose or being, it's hard to unify others. Spirit and meaning are an inside job. Inner growth is part of our spiritual renewal process. Our soul craves it.

Since the beginning of civilization, humans have pursued growth. We've restlessly tried to do and have more and more. For most of the history of the western world, growth has been expressed in the outer, material world possessions, territory, money, economies, etc. Our environmental awareness and shifting values are now showing us some of the limits to outer, material growth. We are now moving to a stage of inner, spiritual growth. This is new territory. But like those who were part of the industrial revolution, we are just getting an inkling of the awesome power and exciting new world the Inner Revolution will open up for us in the next few decades.

Jim Clemmer

Casa Cura Santa Chiara Firenze Radioterapia
Vanessa Escort Trieste

Balance Your Life: Take the Quiz

You may be thinking that your life needs more balance, more time spent at home and with friends and less time spent at work. Perhaps youve even mentioned this to your spouse, girlfriend, best buddy, doctor, or co-workers.

If you have, it's likely that at least one of these people raised an eyebrow and explained the facts of life to you. That is, that nearly everyone is overworked these days, and you should get used to it. Besides, your friend Joe said unsympathetically, I work a lot more hours than you do, so you have no reason to complain."

Yet there's still that nagging doubt. That feeling that you shouldnt always be so stressed, so tired, so short on time, coupled with the knowledge that you cant seem to think clearly anymore, that you always forget family birthdays, and that you rarely eat dinner before 10:00 p.m.

You should definitely listen to your own intuition and take control over your life before you have no OTHER life than what exists in the workplace! But if you still need convincing, or perhaps some more objective feedback, try this little quiz:

Just answer "True" or "False" to each of these statements. Be honest!

1. I am spending more time than ever at work and on work-related projects and activities.

2. I usually feel that Ive run out of time at the end of the day, and I worry about all the things that didn't get done.

3. I dont have any time for myself, my family, or my friends.

4. I dont get to visit with or talk to my family and friends very often.

5. Social meetings always seem rushed, and I find myself thinking about what I have to get done, and how I should be elsewhere, instead of enjoying the time with my family or friends.

6. On most days, every minute of every waking hour is scheduled with an activity, or I have something urgent to accomplish.

7. Im not sure who I am anymore, and I often wonder why I chose this job or career.

8. It's hard to recall my last vacation day or day off, or the last time I just sat and read a book or relaxed.

9. I dont have much fun anymore, and I rarely do something just because I want to do it or because I think it will be pleasurable or fun.

10. I feel stressed out much of the time and find myself losing patience easily.

11. It's sometimes hard to sleep at night and to unwind at the end of the day.

12. My life is a blur. I feel like I have to keep moving from one thing to the next with no time to catch my breath.

13. When I do sit down to read a book for pleasure, or to watch a movie, or TV, I find my mind wandering back to work related subjects, or I fall asleep from exhaustion.

14. I want more time for entertainment, hobbies, and activities, but never seem to get it.

15. I often have to postpone social engagements, doctors appointments, or other personal things, or am often late to these appointments.

16. I'm usually very tired in the morning when I arrive for work and, even after the weekend, I feel exhausted.

17. It's hard to find the time to help my children with homework, talk to my spouse or friend about their day, or just sit and write out checks.

18. People depend on my income, but they also expect me to be there for important dates like birthdays and soccer games, and I often feel torn and misunderstood.

19. I almost always bring some work home at the end of the day, and/or I nearly always work for part of the weekend or on my days off.

If you answered "True" to less than five of these questions, you're not overworked, and your life is in good balance. Just be sure to keep it that way!

If you answered "True" to more than eight of these questions, your life is seriously out of balance.

If you answered "True" to more than twelve of these questions, you should immediately start a program to regain control over your life, before stress and overwork damage your health and your relationships.

Stress is very real, and anyone who tells you to "just deal with it" is ultimately setting you up for failure--failure in relationships, failure to protect your health, and in short, failure in life in general. In addition, going to stress management workshops will only teach you to tolerate more stress! So, the time to act is now. And the thing to do is find ways to control your own life. When you do, you'll be surprised how much free time you have and how much more you enjoy it!

Copyright 2006 by LuAnn Kennedy. This article may be reprinted in its entirety, as long as the copyright information and resource box are included.

Albergo Soggiorno Bari
Download Pokemon Diamante Perla
Canzoncina Bambino Pace
Macchina Cucire Singer Roma
Milan Liverpool Biglietto Finale