One little word
Be!
What an amazing word! At a glance this small word may appear to be an insignificant combination of the second and fifth letter in our english alphabet, but combined these letters bare a world of meaningfulness, an intense source of significance even. Believe it or not, but this word has kept me up at night. This word excites me and gives me strength moving forward. Imagine that… out of all the letter combinations running through my mind throughout the day, these two simple letters can at times hold more weight then any other word in my mind. Coupled with other words, these two letters can move mountains.
“Be the change you wish to see in the world” ~Mahatma Gandhi
According to thefreedictionary.com the dominant definition of the word be is:
- To exist in actuality; have life or reality.
Put simply to be is to live! This is how writers like William Shakespeare are able to put such weight on this simple word, like in the famous line from his playHamlet:
“To be, or not to be” ~William Shakespeare’s Hamlet Act3 Scene1
So why am I putting so much emphasis on this one word you may ask. Well to know me, you must know that I choose the words that I focus on very carefully. I choose words and thoughts that will move me forward to my current goals and ultimately towards the best version of myself, and this word in my mind give me ownership over my abilities, actions and my direction. The constant use of this word means to set the solid foundation and expectations of what my life consists of, and to settle for anything less would be unacceptable. To be is to not just be alive; but to live life to its fullest, and to love the life we’ve been blessed with. To accept anything less than this best version of myself, is to fall short of Being me!
When my kids were in school, I used to send them off saying, “Study hard and have fun.” Then one day, I realized that “have” had connotations of fun happening to you. So I changed it. I said, “Study hard and BE fun.” BE is such a powerful word. Thanks for the post.
Dezra! I love this, such a strong realization. We often overlook the power of words.
Have you seen the pupilpeople 2012 poster design? It starts with your positive word and, by virtue of their motto this year ‘stay consistent in your beginnings and endings’ they have designed a thought provoking piece.
Be positive and let things be.
Break from old routines and give yourself a break.
Cheer for a stranger and be of good cheer.
Fight the good fight.
Follow your dreams and the rest will follow.
Go outdoors and learn to let go.
Grow in knowledge and let your heart grow.
Have a thankful heart and treasure what you have.
Listen to your heart but give others a listen.
Live and let live.
Speak your mind and let the truth speak.
Work hard and let things work.
In situe: http://www.pupilpeople.com/
Beautiful words! I had not yet seen it, but am glad that I have now. Thanks for sharing 🙂
This is a great post. At my last job, we sold and promoted the B It Clothing line in our apparel department. http://www.bhaleyclothing.com/ It is similar to your post because all his shirts have a positive call to action: be love, be hope, be pure, be strong, etc. Anyhoo…
Thanks for sharing Dana! This is probably one of my all time favorite posts Ive done. It holds true today as much as it did when I originally wrote it last August 🙂
I
be happy
I read this post. Thanks!!;)
Haha, Thanks Shez 🙂