REFLECTION
This is the time of the year where the holidays are upon us. With this holiday season as in all past, many including myself start reflecting. It is a great time to evaluate your standing with your family, friends, community etc. It is a great time to reflect on goals that were set to see where you stand; to see if you have fallen short or excelled; to see what you can adjust or not. So, I was driving to court recently and for those who may not know me, I am a trial attorney, and it is very common for me to be in court most mornings. Like many, I turned on my radio and began listening to a Spotify podcast regarding a personal development topic. At this time my subconscious takes over regarding the mundane driving and I start thinking about better ways of improving myself with an equal balance of gratitude for my life. To me family is the most important component of this entire life puzzle. Family to me is my purpose in life. It is my "why" in life. It is why I push myself to continue to succeed and grow in areas of my chosen career, health, finances, etc. I can't over stress that my wife and daughters are my "why" in my everyday life. This personal "why," I'm alluding to is nonnegotiable. So, I was taken back in my aforementioned drive in how grateful I am for everything that I have. I am a Hispanic male who grew up poor in government subsidized housing, by most definitions, in the ghettos, who understands through personal experience the pain of going to bed hungry. Therefore, going from that to where I am today, an accomplished attorney, with an amazing family, living in a beautiful home, all with great health and the ability to travel with my family on various adventures to me is a story book. In fact, if I were to read about my present self, to my younger self, I would think it was fiction. How was this possible? I don't have special powers. If I did this so can anyone.
In the middle of this surreal driving experience, I was interrupted by a phone call from my younger sister of 3 years who currently resides in the same aforementioned government subsidized apartment with her adult son, his wife, their 2-year-old child and another sibling of mine who is about 5 years older than I am. In other words, she or they, never left that environment. She called to profusely, and this is an understatement, thank me for the Christmas gift I sent her. It was a box in the form of a cooler that contains several different dinner items from a company that delivers around the United States. I have used them before because they have great quality items. In this call I could hear the entire family speaking loudly all very grateful for the gift. If you were eavesdropping, you would think they had won the lottery. After we said our pleasantries and hung up, I started thinking about how life is a reflection of decisions and choices. I am not comparing myself to my siblings, but one must ask, why are we so different? My siblings and I came from the same place. We are offsprings from the same mom and dad, well maybe not the same dad but that is for another article. However, this goes to my belief that life is truly a reflection of our choices. I was not born with any special qualities over my siblings. I was not given anything that they weren't. In fact, we weren't given anything. Our parents didn't have anything to give. However, one thing that I truly feel changed my entire life was when I figured out that I have total control over it. You see, I never waited to be given a green light to go into whatever I wanted to do. I just went out and did it. I never waited for anyone to turn on my light because what if they never turned it on? We may not be able at times to control our circumstance, but we can certainly control our responses, our beliefs and our attitudes. Once I understood this truth, my entire life changed. It was earth shattering. The irony is that we can all do this. It doesn't cost anything. Therefore, in the spirit of giving in the holiday season, I wanted to share this experience in the hope that I can bring love and happiness to a soul in need. I leave you with a quote on point; "Dear you, make peace with the mirror and, watch your reflection change." Author unknown.
Just a thought.
In the middle of this surreal driving experience, I was interrupted by a phone call from my younger sister of 3 years who currently resides in the same aforementioned government subsidized apartment with her adult son, his wife, their 2-year-old child and another sibling of mine who is about 5 years older than I am. In other words, she or they, never left that environment. She called to profusely, and this is an understatement, thank me for the Christmas gift I sent her. It was a box in the form of a cooler that contains several different dinner items from a company that delivers around the United States. I have used them before because they have great quality items. In this call I could hear the entire family speaking loudly all very grateful for the gift. If you were eavesdropping, you would think they had won the lottery. After we said our pleasantries and hung up, I started thinking about how life is a reflection of decisions and choices. I am not comparing myself to my siblings, but one must ask, why are we so different? My siblings and I came from the same place. We are offsprings from the same mom and dad, well maybe not the same dad but that is for another article. However, this goes to my belief that life is truly a reflection of our choices. I was not born with any special qualities over my siblings. I was not given anything that they weren't. In fact, we weren't given anything. Our parents didn't have anything to give. However, one thing that I truly feel changed my entire life was when I figured out that I have total control over it. You see, I never waited to be given a green light to go into whatever I wanted to do. I just went out and did it. I never waited for anyone to turn on my light because what if they never turned it on? We may not be able at times to control our circumstance, but we can certainly control our responses, our beliefs and our attitudes. Once I understood this truth, my entire life changed. It was earth shattering. The irony is that we can all do this. It doesn't cost anything. Therefore, in the spirit of giving in the holiday season, I wanted to share this experience in the hope that I can bring love and happiness to a soul in need. I leave you with a quote on point; "Dear you, make peace with the mirror and, watch your reflection change." Author unknown.
Just a thought.