Choose Wisely

"The life choices you make change so much more than your life. Sometimes I think our lives end up being less about us and more about others' lives, people you may not even know that you affected."
-Mark Davis, tax accountant, former Olympic hopeful, and world class friend

A few days ago I received an email from a good friend of mine. The individual was presented with a job opportunity where they would be making over $100,000 per year with a highly recognizable company, which could lead to greater opportunities in the future. If they left their current job they would be giving up a really homey work environment, would be adding a commute, and would be forced to develop a different skill set. So, what did they decide?

Honestly, I don't think the decision is really that important. The big decisions in our life and the small decisions in our life have the same effect. They take us one step further down our path, and hopefully closer to becoming the person that we envision us becoming. What we must remember, is regardless of how big or small the decision is, this decision does not occurr in a vaccuum. It is imperative that we recognize that our decisions each day affect so many more people than we realize.

While I was in public accounting, I met with people who were perceived as being really important, and I also met with clerks and analysts. I made sure that I treated the "little" people with extreme respect as they were the ones who were really going to be helping me. The results were startling. The A/P Manager at one firm sent me a bottle of champagne on my birthday; a Fixed Asset clerk invited me to her wedding; a Finance Director told me that I was the kindest auditor she had ever met--she also got me everything I asked for in record time.

So, as the new week begins I am reminding myself that treating people well, saying please and thank you to everyone, holding doors, and giving people a friendly smile is as important as making a big salary. Everything we do or don't do is a decision. Choose wisely.

Soft Thoughts

"The highest form of spiritual practice is self observation without judgement. Each time we judge ourself, we break our own heart."
- Rabbi Max Cohen

It has been a year since I left the fabulously destructive world of public accounting, and one year since I began practicing yoga. Much has changed. I feel better upstairs than I ever have before, I am working towards professional success each day, and I have realistic goals and expectations for myself. These are all a result of the quality of my thoughts.

Lately I have been thinking about the power of the mind, and the power of detached effort. For example, when God separated the light from the darkness, God said, "Let their be light." And there was light. When the Buddha sat under the boddhi tree, he received Enlightenment. In both of these instances, their was an intent but their was no timeline or demands on when things happen. There was no stop watch taking the time as these events occurred. The importance is that they occurred under non-judgemental circumstances.

In yoga we talk about ahimsa, meaning non-violence. According to Max Cohen, ahimsa all starts with non-judgement. As soon as we judge ourselves, we are then judging others. As soon as we judge others, then words like "bad" and "better" come up. Next thing you know, you are devastatingly unhappy. A friend of mine put this beautifully the other day, "In order to get in touch with the Sea of eternity inside of us, we have to realize that we are all part of the same web. This isn't about better or best, it's about connection to the moment and each other."