I have come to the frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element. It is my personal approach that creates the climate. It is my daily mood that makes the weather. I possess tremendous power to make a life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration. I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal.
In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis will be escalated or de-escalated and a person humanized or dehumanized.
If we treat people as they are, we make them worse. If we treat people as they ought to be, we help them become what they are capable of becoming.
~Goethe~
I would love to hear your thoughts and reactions--your questions and wonderings. At the moment, I am sitting with this thought. Later, I may have more to say.
In the meantime, bend my ear...
Wanda Tucker, Coach
PS - Thanks to sar_girl for sending this quote to me.
And thanks to whoever took the picture.
3 comments:
Your husband and kids are fortunate to have you. Taking the high road is a fine art that your kids will learn well by watching you. (And your husband, too.)
I have also found that (in spite of my best intentions) there are some people who will twist my words and turn them into a negative meaning to match their own inner landscape. I can only be responsible for myself and my intentions and do my best to take the high road. I can't make them get it.
Sad though it may be, if it doesn't work, sometimes it is because the other person is set on maintaining a fixed world view.
In that case, see my entry below entitled Eskabo Da'an:
Get out of the way.
Get out of the way.
Get out of the way.
If we treat people as they are, we make them worse. If we treat people as they ought to be, we help them become what they are capable of becoming.
Wanda, thank you for this quote, and for your own sage thoughts--exactly what I need today.
Thank you. Thank you.
I found another great quote by Marya Mannes that addresses this issue. Look for it in a new post....
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