In our kickoff edition for 2021, Josh Collins – AVP Culture, shares some words of wisdom and sets an inspirational tone for the year.
“Think of what you have rather than of what you lack. Of the things you have, select the best and then reflect how eagerly you would have sought them if you did not have them.” -Marcus Aurelius
I thought this quote was a great start for us in 2021 since we are in goal setting season!
Marcus Aurelius was a Roman Emperor, and he was known as and is often referred to as the “philosopher emperor” because of his thoughtfulness. I believe there are two great nuggets to focus on in this quote so let’s break them down separately:
- Focusing on what you have is important to keeping a positive mindset and being thankful. If we continually focus on what is missing, then we can never find true happiness because there will always be a void for what we are missing. So let’s make sure to celebrate what we have and give thanks throughout this year. That doesn’t mean we won’t face challenges or have moments where we may wish for something we lack, but if we spend more of our time being thankful we will have a great year.
- Reflecting on how eagerly we would seek out the best things in our life is a call to action. Are we taking an active role in our own lives or are we passively watching it go by? I think Marcus was saying that you have to seek the things that are best in life if you want to achieve them. So when we discuss our 2021 goals, I think we also have to ensure we don’t expect them to happen passively. The more effort we put toward them, the more likely we are to achieve them.