This I believe – You only get as much out of life as you put into it – an adage that I have clung to since seventh grade. My seventh and eighth grade history teacher took some time before the start of every class to impart some life lessons. One of the lessons was a quote from a poster that hung on his classroom wall that he required us to memorize and that read, “If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always gotten”. His instruction to us was “to think about it”. At first, it was a bit confusing for my 12-year old mind. Soon, I made the connection between the quote and how it applied to my grades. If I studied diligently and persevered with my assignments, I would get a good grade and if I kept that up, I could always expect to get good grades. It worked! I made the connection. And so it went – hard work, good grades, until grammar school graduation.
The quote stuck in my head and I carried it with me to high school. Now, other opportunities availed themselves. It was not just about the grades anymore. People and relationships took on a new meaning. I saw that they too, required my attention and if I was not willing to give the time, it cost me dearly. Since then, it has evolved into much more. Now, it applies to my life in general. I see it as advice as to how I should live my life. It can apply to any aspect of my life. In order to leave a lasting impression on the world, even a small part of the world, requires diligence, effort, love, patience, kindness, compassion and a whole lot more on my part. If I choose to sit around and do nothing, I can expect nothing in return. Conversely, if I challenge myself and persevere, I can usually expect to reap some rewards. I am also coming to see that those rewards may be intangible and, most importantly, that sometimes the best rewards benefit me only in seeing that my efforts have benefited others.
