W.I.N. Wednesday: Lessons From Life' s Most Powerful Question - Beaten Paths
One of the newsletter readers sent me an e-mail recently with a photo of a 'motivational' poster that was up in their office and their addendum to the message.
The poster says, "Beaten Paths Are For Beaten Men." It is meant to inspire us to fight against the status quo and forge new paths, new adventures and new successes in life.
Their addendum reads:
"Then again, you have a perfectly good path that leads you in the direction you want to go…the "path" is beaten for a reason after all. There is a time to blaze new trails and then there are times to take the path…the wisdom is knowing when."
I like the additions they made to the message. We need to learn from those who have gone before us and take wise counsel from those who have forged that 'beaten path'. It is not always necessary to reinvent the wheel. There are other times however, when we need to forge a new trail and seek to establish better practices and next practices instead of simply embracing 'best practices'.
The key as they point out is, "the wisdom is knowing when." That is where Life's Most Powerful Question comes in. Asking yourself What's important Now? will often provide the clarity and the wisdom to know which is the best course of action. Continuing to ask the question will allow us to understand when we have chosen the wrong path and correct our course.
I am a big fan of quotes and like the message on many of the motivational type posters. What I love about this story is the people involved did not just see it as another poster, they did not simply accept the message and move on. They stopped to reflect of what it meant, and more importantly how it could be improved and applied to their lives. Well done.
What's Important Now? - Continue to question, to learn, to challenge and to grow. Develop the wisdom to know when to follow the path and when to create your own.
Take care.
Brian Willis
Speaker, author, trainer and a man with many questions
To book Brian to speak to your organization or at your conference or event contact him at winningmind@mac.com
www.lifesmostpowerfulquestion.com