What Kind of Example are You Setting?



What Kind of Example are You Setting?

Most religions and philosophies talk about being good examples. Many in the Christian faith have heard the expression, “What would Jesus do?” (WWJD) This is to serve as a reminder to imitate Christ in all thoughts, words and deeds. Pondering this phrase assists one in moving things into a more loving and compassionate view of others.

Jesus was not our only example of the way we should behave. We have had many examples throughout history: Gandhi, the Dalai Lama, Mother Teresa, Eleanor Roosevelt, Linus Pauling, Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela. It is important to note that every one of us serves as an example for others.

There are so many sad stories in the news of people deliberately doing things that hurt others. I know that these individuals are in need of all the Love, Light, Blessings, Prayers and assistance that we can send them and their victims. Don’t people understand that we ALL ARE ONE? Our actions send out a ripple effect, like a pebble in a pond, affecting more people than you can imagine.

Remember the Golden Rule: “Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.” When living by this rule, all are treated with consideration since we each appreciate just treatment for ourselves. In addition, we don’t wish to have poor choices cause us future karmic backlash.

Setting an example is something that we do on a daily basis, even when we are unaware of who is watching or listening. If you doubt this, watch little children and listen to what comes out of their mouths when you didn’t know they were paying attention to you.

It is important to remember that YOU CAN ONLY CHANGE YOU. By changing yourself, you become a better example for others. At the end of each day, try reviewing the experiences you have had and see if there was any place where you did not apply the Golden Rule. Then visualize how you could have shifted things into a more loving light. This will help you to break out of negative patterns to become a positive example. You may even want to journal your experiences so you can look back later and see how much you have changed.

Spiritual growth and evolution involves a process of differentiation of one way of looking at life and oneself into another way of perceiving oneself and the world. BE THE EXAMPLE of what you wish to see in the world, and eventually we will all see the results, not only of you changing you, but of others changing, too.