And What Is Wisdom Father?
And What is Wisdom, Father? A father figure in Kolkata, India.
The notion of wisdom is a really intriguing one. I've been thinking about wisdom and would like to take a poetic approach to explaining the relevance wisdom has for each of us in our journey through life.
Daughter: "And what is wisdom, father?"
Father: "It is knowledge mixed with experience, my child. And both are needed, in equal measure, before we truly find ourselves."
Daughter: "And when we find ourselves, what will we know."
Father: "From where we have come and to where we shall go."
Daughter: "And what then remains for us to learn, dear father."
Father: "To understand our true purpose in life, and to no longer be afraid."
Portrait of a man visiting the Kali temple in Chennai, India.
Do You Believe That Happiness Is Over Rated?
There's so much emphasis these days on finding happiness, as if it's hidden in the back of a cupboard or available for download on the internet.
It seems to me that happiness is over rated.
I believe that we'd all be better off striving for a life of meaning and purpose. It seems to me there are two ways we can go about our life.
We can concentrate our efforts on discovering and realizing our true life’s purpose.
We can devote ourselves to helping others to pursue their own dreams and, in so doing, build a better world?
About to Travel?
Why You Do What You Do?
Do you work to support your wants and desires or to satisfy the needs of your family?
Wouldn't it be amazing to be able to satisfy those needs by living a life of purpose, based upon serving others.
There are two ways, in particular, by which I help others.
I travel the planet producing and sharing life affirming images that celebrate the beauty of our world and its people.
I also help people along their own creative path by giving them the information they need to make better photos.
Sometimes that's in formal, classroom based courses. Other times it's through private, one-to-one photography sessions where I deal specifically with the creative journey of the person in question.
Are You Happy In The Work You Do?
The difference between a job and a vocation is, more often than not, in the mind. And the best way to turn that nine to five job into something more rewarding is to approach it differently.
Whether it's your colleague or your customer, by focusing on the needs of the other you'll be able to make a positive difference to their lives with each and every interaction.
You won't always be thanked for what you do but, before you know it, your interactions will be accompanied by a smile and underpinned by the purest of intentions.
You'll now experience happiness as a natural consequence of your actions. And who doesn’t want to be happy and to make other people happy.
Whether these interactions occur in person or over the phone doesn't matter. The approach you take will be noticed and, more often than not, appreciated.
A life very much lived. A dignified man in Chennai, India.
The Most Important Question Is Always Why
But you won't be approaching your job seeking appreciation, opportunity or promotion.
These things will come your way, over time, because positive people are, eventually, rewarded. Not just for what they do, but for how they go about doing it.
And the what and the how are always dependent upon the why.
For that reason why is always the most important question. Everything else follows from, out of and is underpinned by the question why.
Next time you have an important decision to make please make sure you seriously consider that most important question, why?
