DO-BE-DO-BE-DOING

Whether you heard it from a grade-school teacher, a grandparent, or a family friend, most of us, by the age of five or six, have heard the question, “What do you want to BE when you grow up?” I, too, am guilty of asking little humans this same question.

Ironically, even though we ask them what they want to “BE,” the answers typically emphasize the TASK — the DOING — Firefighter, Doctor, Pilot, Vet, Teacher, etc.

Not ONCE have I ever heard a child answer, “I want to be happy, helpful, or loving.” Our society has trained us to focus on the DOING, which can be EXHAUSTING!

YES, I understand that it’s in the DOING that we can better help others, but no one (at least not in my family nor early educators) taught me to help myself FIRST! That would have been seen as self-serving and selfish. As we’ve all heard and seen demonstrated in the old adage about flying . . . if the plane is in trouble, PUT YOUR MASK ON FIRST before you help others with theirs.

How DO we DO-BE-DO-BE-DOING?
We become more self-aware.

As we move through the season of giving, I invite you to join me in gifting ourselves a few things . . .

• DO make time for ourselves (first) so we have the energy and stamina to assist others.
• BE the best “me” we can be in this moment and take life one moment at a time.
• DO follow our intuition and listen to our hearts; they’re usually right.
• BE “OK” with saying “NO THANK YOU!” if the invitation doesn’t support what’s best for us.
• DO learn to SLOW DOWN, LIGHTEN UP, and not take life so seriously.

It’s in the DO-BE-DO-BE-DOING that we find balance.

“We have a tendency to think in terms of doing and not in terms of being. We think that when we are not doing anything, we are wasting our time. But that is not true. Our time is first of all for us to BE. To be what? To BE alive, to BE peaceful, to BE joyful, to BE loving. And that is what the world needs most.”  — Thich Nhat Hanh