The Japanese have a wonderful prayer or “saying” before meals … they say “itedaki masu” the idea of which is to acknowledge and give thanks to all people that were involved in making this food possible and available for me to eat.  To me, this is honoring the principle of people in your life.

I once heard someone speak of how tough it really is to survive in the wilderness.  Most of us do not have the opportunity to know this first hand – but face it, if you did manage to get enough food, protein included; and managed to not get eaten by some wild animal, life would be pretty dull without someone to chat with.  The solitude might just drive you crazy.  We were not designed to live alone.

So let’s take a moment and review the things we do that define us, that give us work and resources we need to live our destiny.  Let us also “notice” the people that support us, work with us and give us the opportunities to do what we do.  You will notice that the list grows.  Be honest in a way that is grounded.  Here is a personal example;  very often I am in a conversation with people about my gift of healing and my love for being a teacher of spirituality and living; sometimes they are rather surprised because they might have met me at a cocktail party or in a business situation.  In these instances I remind them that – a teacher is a teacher only when he or she has a student.  The rest of the time, they (the teacher) might be a parent, a friend, a customer, a patient, and even a student of someone else.

We are the narratives we hold, we are the stories we tell our selves – but what story is complete without all its actors – minor actors, major actors, villains, heroes and let us not forget the jesters.  My invitation here is for you to dance with this awareness.  Honor the people in your life, give thanks to them, but go further … cherish them, nurture them and support them; so they might live their dreams and fulfill their destiny.  Doing this activates the principle of reciprocity … some call it Karma.  But when you activate this principle in your life; you activate a force multiplier.  Wonderful things happen to you, a little bit here, a little bit there and they add up beautifully.  I find that – one good turn or deed or thought begets another.  The opposite is true as well, one bad deed or action leads to another.

So walk with the consciousness that we are connected and that we need people in our lives.  The better the quality of people in our lives the better they will contribute to us in positive ways.  The less they are aligned with our commitments, the less they will be able to support us living our dreams.  Remember, you can choose who you play with so choose your people teams well.  When it comes to family …. That’s whole different ball of wax; I will leave that up to you.

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“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.

Are you upset with your sweetheart; unsatisfied with your raise; bearing physical pain; worried about something; suffering from depression; feeling ignored?  Yet you say “I’m fine” and sweep your emotions under the rug.  We’re not dealing with burnt toast, folks.  The experiences and issues that weave the threads of your life together warrant both attention and discussion.  What’s worse…many of you keep silent the good stuff as well.  If you’ve got a brilliant idea; can help out a situation, love someone with all of your heart… Well, SPEAK ON, DEAR FRIEND!  We spend half of our lives biting our tongues when we should speak up and share ourselves!  Chat up your truth –the connection you make will bring solution, satisfaction and peace of mind.

Net-net:  You want to “stickitivity”, folks? Create an unshakably positive, people-packed future by seeking authenticity in all who surround you.  But more importantly, choose respect for yourself by unabashedly standing in truth and talk it up!  Reveal its power and revel in the liberation it returns.

©2000-2009 by Kimberlie Dykeman. SOAPBOX® is a registered trademark of Kimberlie Dykeman.  This article contains excerpts from copyrighted SOAPBOX® vignettes and Kimberlie Dykeman’s book “Pure Soapbox”.

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