What Kind of Footprint Do You Want to Make?
By Lisa Marsh
Expanding the usage of the term ‘footprint,’ as we have lately, to refer to our impact upon the environment, but more positively, consider the following:
Does your footprint merely say “I was here” or does it say something about the kind of person you are through the contributions you consciously make to the world you inhabit?
We can apply conscious choice to how we make that mark. Must it be made by the doing of good deeds, as opposed to just having fame or fortune? Quite apart from any particular religious or cultural dictate, people instinctively understand that both our personal relationships and our communities thrive on acts of caring and service. What we do for others, or how we benefit from the acts of others, become life lessons for us and our children and so the cycle repeats itself.
So, assuming that the shoe fits, how and why do we each choose what we contribute to the world during our lifetime? A frequent comment I hear from clients and friends is that they want their lives to bring them a sense of fulfillment. These days, people don’t just want a pay check, coffee dates, an annual holiday, a long list of errands and family obligations. For many, a true sense of fulfillment is created by the combination of purpose, meaning and balance into a richly textured life.
We have the age-old questions: Why am I here? Do I make a difference? Life is an interpretive experience: what gives meaning to one person won’t to another.
So, we feel entitled now to design our lives to take care of our family’s essential needs, our relationships, and individual interests and to round it out, our positive behaviour. One person may give what is easiest, feeling that this was why they were blessed with so much. Another may give enough to feel the loss or inconvenience, understanding that to give is also to receive. For some, giving is done when requested; for others it is comfortably part of everyday life. Of course, it can change all the time: families cleaning up a local park, donors, fundraisers, sponsored walkers, volunteers, mentors, football coaches, Brownie & Scout leaders, all inspire others to get involved, as and when they can.
Ask yourself:
Are you satisfied with your contribution to society? Has it arisen from family, social or religious pressure or from your own choice? Would realigning your contribution with your personal value system increase your sense of fulfillment? Can you tap into your abundance, whether that is time, money, skill, knowledge, kindness, talent or generosity of spirit, and share it with others merely for the satisfaction of knowing it has made a difference?Whatever you decide to do to increase your conscious effort at positive behaviour, you will be helping others and can reap the satisfaction of knowing you have given from a pure heart rather than a grudging wallet.
Now, what does your footprint say about you?
Lisa Marsh - Life Coach
www.yourgreatlife.co.uk
This article was posted by Lisa Marsh
