I have added a couple more mentors to my list of references and resources in my journey towards opening a domestic violence shelter in Cochabamba, Bolivia, and I am blessed to consider Rob Simon among this mix of genuine individuals who humbly give of their time to support me. Rob is inspirational, an individual whose personal mission is to “ignite within all of us the desire and the power to live a fruitful life.” I met Rob because of his work in dating violence awareness and prevention, using theatre as a unique and creative medium to speak to teens on a peer-to-peer level about a challenging topic. For more information on Rob, including his company Positive Rhythm Productions, you may visit his website here. I was gifted with Rob's advice recently, when he shared this competing priorities analogy with me: Your priorities are like drivers of a car on a road trip. You start out the trip with one driver, and your values have to be in alignment with that driver and their current position in your life. Then, at some point in the journey, another priority says, "It is my turn to drive," or as I personally like to think of it, "Pick me, pick me!" When that happens, you have to allow that priority to take center stage, and that priority has control over your ambitions and what gives meaning to your life at that point in time. Only one priority can be in charge at a time, and that priority is the one to which you are giving your focus and that is receiving the true benefit of your presence. Rob also shared an awareness meditation with me, which can be a helpful tool in the developing of your current priorities, per below: Awareness - what is in my awareness? Love - what would love do about it? Creativity - how can my creativity help me do what love requires? Communication - how does all of this inform my communication to myself and others? Often, when we are stuck in life, it is because we are not listening to our intuition, but to the overstimulation of everything around us. Rob's suggestion helps us to refocus our attention to where we really want to be and to what matters most in the moment. Finally, let's address the idea of selfishness in this world. Isn't it selfish to dedicate so much time and attention to ourselves? One of the gems that I took away and hold most dear from my formation program with Franciscan Mission Service is this: you can't take care of anyone else until you take care of yourself. If we do not love ourselves, how can we love anyone else? If we do not take proper care of our bodies, minds, and spirits, how do we expect ourselves to have enough time and energy to take care of others? Thank you to Rob Simon, and all of my mentors, for reminding us to live in the present and cherish each and every moment, so that we may give of the best version of ourselves when it matters most to help one other in this journey called life!
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AuthorValerie Ellis, who is in alignment with the Black Lives Matter Movement and everyone whose life is impacted, now or before, by times of social injustice. Archives
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