What can you do for yourself that makes you good for others, and how do you assess that? First, what does "good for others" mean to you? For me there are varied meanings depending on who those others are, but essentially this means how can I be a loving, helpful and positive friend, family member, partner, co-worker, neighbor or community member? What gives me the power and ability to help out in ways that are positive and what takes away from that potential?
These questions help to point us in the right direction because while it's important to follow your dreams, be who you are and live your best life for yourself, it is as important or potentially more important to be there for others too, and understanding what that means truly helps you to make good choices.
For example, a family member called to ask for some advice recently. He essentially was trying to figure out his priorities amidst many choices. At the end of the conversation, it was clear that his priorities, to a large degree and at this juncture, included what was right and good for a couple of other people--those people were going to be primary factors in my family member's choices for this chapter, and more important priorities than some of his personal interests at this time.
Since we know that good relationships are essential to good living, it's clear that we often have to put the good people in our lives at the top of our priority list. And there will be other times, when we have to put ourselves first. This is a give-and-take situation.
So as I think about refining the life journey, I'm thinking about what I can do to be available, supportive and positive for the people I love the most. What will it take? That's a good way to think about the path ahead. Onward.