We Are All Teachers

In a recent Podcast I discussed that no matter how you choose to live, the people around you are taking notice.

Your friends, your family, your co-workers, the barista that serves you coffee every morning…

They are taking mental notes of how you act and react throughout your day.  As they learn your behaviour, you are teaching them how to treat you.

Your likes and dislikes, when you are happy or sad, how to encourage you and how to push your buttons.

You have learned these same lessons about everyone you come into contact with as well. That collection of experiences informs habits and behaviors for ourselves and others throughout our lifetime.

It’s a vicious cycle!

This is mostly subconscious. We can go our whole lives without ever questioning our impact on others. The fact is, you are a living breathing creature and you are impacting someone else’s life.

The catch; you have no way of deciding what that impact will be, that’s entirely up to the viewer.

You can decide, however, what your intentions are! How you choose to present yourself.

Are you a (wo)man of your word, of honor, of integrity?  What does that even mean to you?  Is it important to you in how you see yourself impacting the world in your lifetime?  Will your impact go beyond our lifetime???

This is deep, and may seem TOO big to wrap your head around.

Don Miguel Ruiz describes this quite succinctly though in his book “The Four Agreements.”  He suggests that examining your own actions and beliefs in these areas can help liberate you from unnecessary stress and suffering.  In short:

• Be impeccable with your word.
• Don't take anything personally.
• Don't make assumptions.
• Always do your best.

Again, you can’t decide how someone else will react to you or your thoughts/words/habits/behaviors.  But you can know yourself and act in kind. Because what you are doing, how you are behaving, helps others decide how to treat you.  And that creates a behavior and habit all of its own that they will adopt and carry with them.

We are all teachers, whether or not we know it.  Be the teacher that you want to see in others.

#mondaymotivation #knowyourself #movewithpurpose #crossit #gym #decaturga #integrity