things to ponder

So, I was talking (ok, emailing) with a friend of mine the other day (Hi  Robert!) about a project he’s been building, Engage.  The core concept  (assuming I have it right) is about the importance of building (and engaging) personal values, and how those values relate to  success on both a business and personal level. 

I’ve been following his progress for a while now, but given the current world economic "situation" the timing of his project struck me as right on the mark, timing wise.  

Here’s My Thinking…

For the past decade or so, success in Western cultures  (at least in the US)  has been defined almost exclusively by profit margins, productivity, and cost/benefit analysis.  Those  same trends have been evident online, with the number of blogs stressing productivity, efficiency, quick tips lists, and a race for sheer numbers of subscribers/followers.   It’s been all about shallow and broad, rather than narrow and deep. 

But with the money drying up, consumers are fewer and further between, and those who are still spending are pickier with where they spend their money -   that means each customer starts having more value to the company. 

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On his way home from work last night, my significant-whosiwhatsit  stopped by the local Walmart for a few necessities (like, say, food).   As he walked out of the store (carrying bags of Fritos, bean dip and coffee) he encountered the usual gaggle of young Walmart employees who we’ve become accustomed to seeing taking their breaks just outside the main door. 

As he stepped past the clean-cut group, one of them looked up at the sky, puzzled, and pondered.

"Why do you suppose only half of the moon is visible tonight?"

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I keep an eclectic collection of statements, mantras and ideas floating around in my head. It’s their job to periodically shake up my perceptions, remind me who I am, and keep things in perspective.

One of them jiffy-popped into my mind today, prompting this post.

“I am the eyes through which God sees.”

I’m not certain of it’s origins, but a quick Google suggests it springs from the Sufi traditions in Islam.

Try holding it in your thoughts for a day or two - the perspective shift works, whatever your understanding of “God” may be. Use it in a formal meditative or contemplative practice, or just casually think about it once in a while. I seem to remember carrying it rather far, once, as the ears with which God hears, the hands with which God types, etc. Keep your humility in place, please … I’m not responsible if you develop a budding messiah complex from this!