by Dwayne Gilbert
Dr. Martin Luther King was surely one of the greatest men of the 20th century. What he stood for and what he accomplished will be forever imbedded in american history. We should all strive to accomplish such great feats, or at least commit ourselves to something so grand. He is quoted as saying: "If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well."
Many people beleive that there are jobs that are below them or jobs that are not worthy of their time and effort. First of all, no job would exist if it were not necessary. Even garbage men are needed to help us maintain the kind of life we live. Even the lowliest of jobs is necessary. Second of all, it's not about what one does that matters, but the amount of attention they put into. Most people, no matter how glamorous their job may be, never do their job to their full ability. Most people would not truly want to sign their name to the job they do and have people parade through and look at it. I have met men who clean bathrooms who are more worthy of praise for the energy they put into doing it, and I have met me of high status who are not worth a moments time for how poorly they do their job.
So it is not what one does that is important, but what kind of attention to detail one gives it. What kind of effort and energy one gives to what one is doing. Take for example eating. Most people simply guzzle the food into their mouths, rarely taking the time to enjoy every single bite as it grinds between their teeth and sits on their tongue. To enjoy the way it goes down their throat and enters their belly. To enjoy how each and every bite slowly fills the stomach and takes away the feeling of hunger and slowly replenishes the body with much needed nutrition. Everything else is the same, and everything we do should have our undivided attention at the time we are doing it.
So how well do you do what it is you do, be it walking, talking, loving, or working? Do you give everything you do from showering to going to the bathroom the focus and attention it deserves. You might be saying, "but Dwayne, it's just going to the bathroom, or it's just eating, or it's just...." The point is simple. The amount of energy and effort you give anything is how much energy and effort you give everything, and you will only be deserving of as much as you put in. Everything in your every day life is a part of your over all experience, and no one thing is more important than another. Try not showering for a week, or a month, and see how that makes you feel. Try not going to the bathroom for a day or two, and see how important it really is. Not to mention learning to pay attention to your bodily functions is the first way to tell if you are getting sick.
So begin to approach everything, in every moment of your life as though you were creating a master piece. As though everything you do from walking to loving were a work of art and you were signing your name to it. Take the time to truly experience what it is like to do those things. What it is like to connect with yourself and the world that makes up your every day life. There is no one else who sees the world through your eyes or experiences life from your perspective. It is completely and totally you and yours. Enjoy it, and give everything you do total attention as it deserves.
Dr. Martin Luther King was surely one of the greatest men of the 20th century. What he stood for and what he accomplished will be forever imbedded in american history. We should all strive to accomplish such great feats, or at least commit ourselves to something so grand. He is quoted as saying: "If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well."
Many people beleive that there are jobs that are below them or jobs that are not worthy of their time and effort. First of all, no job would exist if it were not necessary. Even garbage men are needed to help us maintain the kind of life we live. Even the lowliest of jobs is necessary. Second of all, it's not about what one does that matters, but the amount of attention they put into. Most people, no matter how glamorous their job may be, never do their job to their full ability. Most people would not truly want to sign their name to the job they do and have people parade through and look at it. I have met men who clean bathrooms who are more worthy of praise for the energy they put into doing it, and I have met me of high status who are not worth a moments time for how poorly they do their job.
So it is not what one does that is important, but what kind of attention to detail one gives it. What kind of effort and energy one gives to what one is doing. Take for example eating. Most people simply guzzle the food into their mouths, rarely taking the time to enjoy every single bite as it grinds between their teeth and sits on their tongue. To enjoy the way it goes down their throat and enters their belly. To enjoy how each and every bite slowly fills the stomach and takes away the feeling of hunger and slowly replenishes the body with much needed nutrition. Everything else is the same, and everything we do should have our undivided attention at the time we are doing it.
So how well do you do what it is you do, be it walking, talking, loving, or working? Do you give everything you do from showering to going to the bathroom the focus and attention it deserves. You might be saying, "but Dwayne, it's just going to the bathroom, or it's just eating, or it's just...." The point is simple. The amount of energy and effort you give anything is how much energy and effort you give everything, and you will only be deserving of as much as you put in. Everything in your every day life is a part of your over all experience, and no one thing is more important than another. Try not showering for a week, or a month, and see how that makes you feel. Try not going to the bathroom for a day or two, and see how important it really is. Not to mention learning to pay attention to your bodily functions is the first way to tell if you are getting sick.
So begin to approach everything, in every moment of your life as though you were creating a master piece. As though everything you do from walking to loving were a work of art and you were signing your name to it. Take the time to truly experience what it is like to do those things. What it is like to connect with yourself and the world that makes up your every day life. There is no one else who sees the world through your eyes or experiences life from your perspective. It is completely and totally you and yours. Enjoy it, and give everything you do total attention as it deserves.
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