Leadership's Future: Choosing Your Audience
by Miki Saxon
Every day we make choices and, as kids, learning to make wise ones is one on the most important things that should happen as we grow.
But it doesn’t always happen.
The great thing is that you can change and learn to make good choices at any time in your life—it is an integral part of leading yourself.
One of the most important choices anyone makes is found in the people they choose to have as part of their life.
Although I could write my own ideas of what that means, I’d like to share something I received from a friend. I can’t find who the author is, so I’ll credit the prolific Anon.
Everyone Can’t Be in Your Front Row
Life is a theater – invite your audience carefully. Not everyone is spiritually healthy and mature enough to have a front row seat in our lives. There are some people in your life that need to be loved from a distance.
It’s amazing what you can accomplish when you let go, or at least minimize your time with draining negative, incompatible, not-going-anywhere relationships/friendships/fellowships!
Observe the relationships around you. Pay attention to: Which ones lift and which ones lean? Which ones encourage and which ones discourage?
Which ones are on a path of growth uphill and which ones are going downhill?
When you leave certain people, do you feel better or feel worse? Which ones always have drama or don’t really understand, know and appreciate you and the gift that lies within you? When you seek growth, peace of mind, love and truth, the easier it will become for you to decide who gets to sit in the FRONT ROW and who should be moved to the balcony of your life.
You cannot change the people around you…but you can change the people you are around! Choose wisely the people who sit in the front row of your life.
Copy the last sentence and tape it to your monitor and the bathroom mirror; forward the post to every person you care about—not with a lecture, but with a hug; discuss it’s meaning with your kids—they are never too young to learn this.
Take a long, hard look at who sits in your front row; if you don’t want them there you don’t need to have a major confrontation, just quietly lower their priority in your life and assign them to a seat at the back—even if they have you in their front row.
I know that I’m in the front row of several people who sit in the rear of my audience, but I say nothing, because nothing would be gained. They would be deeply hurt for no reason; they have little-to-no impact on me because they are far back and where they choose to seat me is none of my business.
Your comments—priceless
Don’t miss a post, subscribe via RSS or EMAIL
Image credit: Rob Stemple on flickr
October 22nd, 2009 at 12:05 pm
[…] This post was mentioned on Twitter by leadthetribes, Travis G. Mason. Travis G. Mason said: "You cannot change the people around you…but you can change the people you are around! " http://ow.ly/vTWY […]