Being Point

Tag: Leaving Things Better Than You Found Them

  • Contributing To Someone Else As A Means Of Leaving Something Better Than You Found It

    Leaving a situation better than you found it translates into the opportunity for taking complete responsibility in our personal relationships. Consider trying on the idea of being 100 percent responsible for the results of any relationship.

    This approach is best done with zero negative judgment as a means of asking the pure play question: what is my role in the dynamics of the relationship?

    Taking responsibility is central to the idea of leaving something – or someone – better than you found them. “Better” in this context means nothing even close to that you “fixed” or “improved” someone. Rather, it engages the idea of contribution to other(s).

    Can you think of people whom you leave – and have left – more empowered, more loved, more attended to than when you first met them? How much of that result was intentional? Who has contributed to you in such profound ways? Have you acknowledged that person(s) for leaving you better than you were found?

  • Striving For Noble Goals To Make The World A Better Place

    Consider Winston Churchill’s quote:

    “What is the use of living, if it be not to strive for noble causes and to make this muddled world a better place for those who will live in it after we are gone?”

    Now, try substituting other words for “this muddled world” like:

    * Your romantic relationship, marriage or love life.

    * The lives of the people with whom you work.

    * Charitable causes that make a difference.

    * The outcomes that your customers experience.

    * Your school, college or university.

    * Our very, very flawed political process.

    You get the idea, even if the translation with Churchill’s quote is not exact. He’s essentially saying that making things better is the reason that we’re here on earth.

    How do you feel about his position? Do you consider it extreme? What kind of improvements have you effected in any of the items above? Did your contributions rise to the level that Churchill describes?

  • Leaving Things Better Than You Found Them

    When I went camping as a child, I was taught to always leave the campground better than I found it. That most often meant not only completely removing any trash that my group had left behind, but also picking up and removing the trash generated by people whom I did not know.

    I remember feeling good about doing something that my child’s mind identified as noble. Making the world a better place even in the smallest way was very rewarding.

    That concept has remained a cornerstone of how I aspire to live my life. But I’m human, so the aspirations have been far greater than the realities of my being able to live up to that ideal.

    Do you ever pick up trash that others have left? Literally or metaphorically? It’s great to do it anonymously so that there’s no opportunity for ego gratification. How aware are you of leaving any situation better than you found it? What has been your experience and success at doing so? Is this concept something to which you resonate – or is it something else to you?