Last week, I wrote about expecting little out of others. You can’t expect others to see your viewpoint. Don’t think everyone will remember your birthday. Things won’t always go your way.
But another part of this my two-stage plan for world peace. You might be where you aren’t entitled and don’t believe that anyone owes you anything, but the next part is to rise to be your personal best.
If you are doing what you can and striving to be the best version of yourself. The kindest, most generous, hardest working you that you can be. Following through with what you say you will do. Then who can fault you?
It feels like the difference between wanting and giving. When you expect things, it’s like you are pulling something out of someone.
As a young man, I started working for a tech consulting company. There were five of us employed there, including me. One day my boss came in and said we should clean up the office. The company was in its infancy, with no cleaning crew—just us.
He whipped out a vacuum cleaner, and I said, “Hey, I can do that.”
His response always stayed with me, “I wouldn’t ask you to do something I wasn’t willing to do myself.”
It showed me that he didn’t expect me to do all the cleaning. He wasn’t above me, though his house and car were much nicer than mine. He just wanted the office to be tidy. However, knowing that and seeing his ability to lead by example inspired me to vacuum regularly without his asking. If he had just told me to do it, I don’t know that I would have taken so much pride in having a clean office. I might have seen the task as beneath me.
Own your actions. Change comes from within. But you can inspire others by showing that you hold yourself accountable.
I remember Darren Hardy would say when you are in a relationship, what percentage of the responsibility do you have? Is it 50/50? No, he argued, you are 100% responsible.
It’s tough to wrap your head around, but I always liked that I wasn’t dependent on anyone else to do the right thing. It always starts with me. And if we all felt like that, I think the world would be a better place.
“Be tolerant with others and strict with yourself.”
― Marcus Aurelius
