Risk More Than Others Think is Safe-Daily Meditation 9.15.22
Today’s quotation:
Risk more than others think is safe. Care more than others think is wise. Dreaming more than others think is practical. Expect more than others think is possible.-Cadet Maxim, West Point, New York
Today’s Meditation:
Other people want you to be safe because they care for you. Some other people don’t want you to take risks because you may end up making them look bad when you succeed. Some people don’t care too much because they’re afraid they may be hurt if they do so. Many people have low expectations of just about everything because they think they won’t face as much disappointment if they look at life that way.
Well, here’s some important news: we don’t have to be like any of them. We can define life on our own terms, and we can look at other people as examples of how we want or don’t want to live our lives. If someone who has low expectations rarely seems to be happy, then guess what? We can use that person as an example and raise our expectations and make our lives reach levels that person never can dream of.
I hope that I never settle for emulating others. I hope that I’m able to listen to my heart and spirit and define my life as I see most fit for me as a unique individual, not as a follower of others. Yes, I can take advice and yes, I can learn from other people’s experiences, but what I make of all that is up to me, and the results of what I make will be truly unique in the world–if I create something truly unique.
We’ll always find ourselves reaching new heights and stretching our limits if we keep the words “more than others” in mind. Sadly, we’re surrounded by people who settle for less, who thrive in mediocrity, and who do their best to do their least. But we don’t have to be like them–we can live our lives more fully than others.
Questions to consider:
Why do so many people settle for so little?
How high are your expectations of life? How have they reached that level?
What kinds of results might we see if we strive to do things “more than others”?
For further thought:
Every day, people settle for less than they deserve.
They are only partially living or at best living a partial life.
Every human being has the potential for greatness.-Bo Bennett
