Why you need to find people who inspire you
Searching the web for inspirational quotes one day, my eyes delighted upon reading these messages from the great nun from Calcutta, Mother Teresa:
“People are often unreasonable and self-centered. Forgive them anyway.”
“If you are honest, people may cheat you. Be honest anyway.”
“If you find happiness, people may be jealous. Be happy anyway.”
“The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway.”
The 1979 Nobel Peace Prize winner certainly knows how it is to ‘love unconditionally’ without denying the natural tendencies of humans. The abovementioned quotes from Mother Teresa reveal our flaws as she cleverly prescribes the right behavior to confront them.
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“If you are kind, people may accuse you of ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.”
This may sound like a job for super brother Joe or super sister Annie. Imagine people suspecting you of wanting to benefit from them, thus your good behavior. But Mother Teresa emphasized the ‘be kind anyway’ part as she gives a hint on the reasons why one must stick to possessing pure intentions despite what the world thinks.
“Give the world the best you have and it may never be enough. Give your best anyway. For you see, in the end, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.”
Yes, it hurts when your good deed was left unappreciated or when people mistake your action as bribery or self-promotion. It is definitely a stab in the heart when your honest works are criticized. But doing it all for the Lord makes a huge difference. It gives you peace. It blurs everything that the world says because you know that you began with a pure heart.
When you begin on the right foot, you know that you can start all over again should you stumble along the way.
It was not a coincidence that Mother Teresa earned the title ‘the living saint’ when she was still alive. She had a very strong anointing that she left footprints of her kindness and inner beauty all around the globe. She founded the Missionaries of Charity and her works include a hospice for the terminally ill called Nirmal Hriday, or the “Place for the Pure of Heart”.
Growing up, Mother Teresa’s charity works would often be mentioned in our classes and even in the news and that’s how I developed a deep admiration for her. I wish I met her when she was still around. I wonder how it would have felt meeting a ‘living saint.’
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I’m reading a book from my favorite author John Ortberg.
In his book ‘The Life you’ve always wanted’ Ortberg emphasizes why we need to seek the company of people who bring us joy and inspiration.
“Find a joy mentor,” Ortberg said.
“When we are around them, they breathe life into us. Prize them. Thank them. Above all, get intentional about being with them. That is important, because there are other people in our lives also – people who have rejected joy, who have decided to be victims.”
“We all have to endure a few joy-destroying people in life. We need to love them as best we can, but we also have to be very careful not to let them shape us. We may need to limit the time we spend with them.”
Have you had coffee with someone who ranted the whole time you were together? How did you feel afterward? Be honest with yourself. There is a huge difference between a friend telling you about his or her worries and someone who delights in criticizing the world.
On the other hand, do you know someone who makes you feel better even after a simple chat? Do you know someone who encourages you to pursue your dreams and cheers you on in your efforts to achieve them? Do you know someone who could always make your dream alive and your hopes multiplied?
Develop deeper relationships with joyful people. Make regular appointments with them and you’ll always be full of life.
