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| Is there a library at the end of this path? |
I was in the market for a mentor, a wise figure to follow, a teacher.
Thanks to the Internet, and the publishing industry there are literally hundreds to choose from...
But where to start? There is so much wisdom out there, it was making my head spin and I wasn’t getting any wiser.
I read books, blogs, newsletters, websites and magazines. I listened to podcasts, movies and radio shows.
It was way too much information.
I needed a clear and narrow focus. A path. Some direction.
After bouncing from one sage to the next I was feeling worse than when I started.
One evening I was reading a book by Marcus Buckingham called “Go, Put Your Strengths To Work”. I was all for it, except I couldn’t figure out what my strength was. I read on and he suggested asking yourself, “which activity will fulfill and sustain you as you go through life?” What has an “I-can’t-help-but quality” to it, what felt easy, made time speed by and made you happy? And the final three clues...
Before I could second guess myself a plan snapped into place...instead of clicking aimlessly through the Internet wilderness, searching for endless for direction and I’d go to the library everyday and see what happened. I’d go to a different library, in a different place everyday. For a whole year.
Going to the library everyday would definitely make me happy, reading and learning were two things I was really good at, and besides, even if I wanted to stop going to the library, I couldn’t help myself. So maybe the library could be my mentor.
After a few months I realized that I was learning more from the library than history, architecture and library science, I was taking away some life lessons (or ‘big ideas’ as we say in my 4th grade classroom). Each library had a nugget of greater truth that I could take with me back into the real world and try to apply to my life.
So I decided that each day I would write about the library and the lesson if offered.
I was a library disciple on a virtual pilgrimage around the country - picking up inspiration from every stop.
All was going well until I started to notice, again, that information was coming in too quickly, a lesson a day was too much for me to digest. I took a page from the bible, and most of the other organized religions of the world and picked Sunday as a day to stop and reflect on the week, remember what I had learned and look for ways to practice the lessons more in my daily life. So here I am..
What I learned from the library this week:
Thanks to the Internet, and the publishing industry there are literally hundreds to choose from...
But where to start? There is so much wisdom out there, it was making my head spin and I wasn’t getting any wiser.
I read books, blogs, newsletters, websites and magazines. I listened to podcasts, movies and radio shows.
It was way too much information.
I needed a clear and narrow focus. A path. Some direction.
After bouncing from one sage to the next I was feeling worse than when I started.
One evening I was reading a book by Marcus Buckingham called “Go, Put Your Strengths To Work”. I was all for it, except I couldn’t figure out what my strength was. I read on and he suggested asking yourself, “which activity will fulfill and sustain you as you go through life?” What has an “I-can’t-help-but quality” to it, what felt easy, made time speed by and made you happy? And the final three clues...
- what did you love to do as a kid?
- what would keep doing even if no one noticed and no one paid you?
- what are you goood at?
Before I could second guess myself a plan snapped into place...instead of clicking aimlessly through the Internet wilderness, searching for endless for direction and I’d go to the library everyday and see what happened. I’d go to a different library, in a different place everyday. For a whole year.
Going to the library everyday would definitely make me happy, reading and learning were two things I was really good at, and besides, even if I wanted to stop going to the library, I couldn’t help myself. So maybe the library could be my mentor.
After a few months I realized that I was learning more from the library than history, architecture and library science, I was taking away some life lessons (or ‘big ideas’ as we say in my 4th grade classroom). Each library had a nugget of greater truth that I could take with me back into the real world and try to apply to my life.
So I decided that each day I would write about the library and the lesson if offered.
I was a library disciple on a virtual pilgrimage around the country - picking up inspiration from every stop.
All was going well until I started to notice, again, that information was coming in too quickly, a lesson a day was too much for me to digest. I took a page from the bible, and most of the other organized religions of the world and picked Sunday as a day to stop and reflect on the week, remember what I had learned and look for ways to practice the lessons more in my daily life. So here I am..
What I learned from the library this week:
- relax. life is too short to always be racing around like a chicken with your head cut off. Find a quiet place where you can let your body relax and decompress. A place to calm down physically and stay alert mentally. Triggering the relaxation response is good for your mind, body and spirit. Try meditating, talking a walk, doing yoga, sitting in your garden, floating in a pool or come join me at the library.
- start listening to the people around you. Put down your phone, look up from the email, magazine, bills and television and give your attention to the person you’re talking to. Show them that you care and respect them by really listening to them, trying to understand what they are saying and where they are coming from. Start small and build your listening stamina, soon you will be honestly communicating with others, not just going through the motions. Don’t know how to start? Join a book club.
- smile. You’ll feel better, look better, live longer and be more fun to be around. Thich Nhat Hanh teaches us to “smile, breathe and go slowly” and he says, “because of your smile you make life beautiful.” Put on your smile when you leave your house in the morning and keep it on. You will spread good feelings to everyone you meet and be more grateful for all the simple pleasures. ps. you don’t have to feel happy to start smiling. Just fake it and you might even fool yourself.
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