Monday, September 1, 2008

A Good Idea In Life - Think Beforehand

“The whole of life should be one course of thought how not to miss the right path. Rumination and foresight enable one to determine the line of life.” -Balthasar Gracian.
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On thinking beforehand, the sage delivers a maxim that beckons us to consider our ways before regret sweeps over our troubled brow. We all have them, regrets. It’s therefore a very wise thing to minimise and mitigate them as much as we can, and certainly before they occur -- prevention’s better than cure. There is a real blessing for taking time out to do nothing but ponder -- asking ‘what are the risks of doing something regrettable here; with this day?’ It requires discipline to achieve it, a certain level of intelligence to capitalise, as well as some depth of holistic awareness of the totality of one’s life.
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There’s a key skill involved here. Preventing regrettable action beforehand with thinking may indicate a distinctive (in-the-moment adjustment) level of competence in emotional intelligence, where rich self-awareness and adept social awareness merge for double-strength of character.
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Reflection is not simply musing about the past; it’s meditating on what’s recently transpired as a feed-in to what lays immediately ahead. It’s a very real form of planning toward life and relational risk management.
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Yet, it seems a gross luxury these days to spend large amounts of time daily, contemplating fruitfully, forth-telling our events and activities so as to ensure we protect both our own performances and the wellbeing of others. Is it really a good investment of time? Can we justify it on the balance of all the other balls we must keep in the air?
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Temptations to skimp on time to be alone and reflect as a springboard to better personal performance are always there. We cannot simply and easily take time to ‘be still’ and just “be” it seems. Life’s forces distract us incessantly.
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The noise has to be turned down for us to hear the gentle whisper of our spirit’s deepest yearning. Then there’s the trust required to believe (and act on) the messages communicated in silence.
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Possibly the greatest distinctive skill of reflection is being continually ahead in the thinking department; in the modality of time spans. For instance, being present and at the same time two hours ahead, whilst being simultaneously able to remain cognisant of what lays ahead two weeks from the present moment, and in the light of the lifeplan, requires a level of grounded wisdom we can only strive for. It is only achieved in the midst of engrained reflective practice that entrains the person to the right path and line of life.
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Copyright © 2008, S. J. Wickham. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.

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