The Weekly Perspective

This note is from the City Manager at Mike's work - he normally sends out an informational citywide message 1X a week to all City employee's. How nice that he felt the need to pass along Mike's email and to share it...what a great message!

The Weekly Perspective

Sure we all have problems. Last week the dam blew out and emptied Tempe Town Lake, we have just gone through the worst recession in most of our lifetimes and coming out of it is coming slow. But then sometimes life hands us more than we think we can handle and it puts everything else into perspective. The following note comes to me from Sergeant Mike Lane of the Tempe PD which shares a great perspective on life. Thanks Mike.
“I thought I'd pass this on to you knowing how cognizant you are about these sort of "real life" motivations/lessons. I think you already know the plight my son Trey goes through each and every day struggling with his crippling disorder. I read this over and over again on the tougher days!
These HopeMinute’s are just always positive and this has taught my wife and I so much……I try to elude this degree of "positive thinking" at home and when servicing the community I'm sworn to protect here at work…..it does no good for Cami and I to focus only on the "tough hand in life" our son has been dealt.”

I love being around people who love life. It is contagious! They walk with a bounce, speak with enthusiasm, and smile a lot. Such people can scarcely contain their enthusiasm regarding whatever they do. It is not that they don't have problems. It is just that they embrace both the joys and the challenges. They know that it's not really about them anyway.
One of their most noticeable attributes is how sincerely they enjoy other people. They know how to listen, but they speak boldly. They love relationships. They love their friends. Others benefit just by being around them.
What's their secret? While many elements play a role, I think three are key: optimism about life, balance in life, and perspective. These people show optimism in how they think of themselves and especially how they see others. They have hope! They find the best in themselves and in others. They show balance by loving what they do but not being obsessed by it. They are able to place things in proper priority. And they have the right perspective - an eternal one. They enjoy life to the fullest, but they have a humility that comes from understanding that it is all a gift and we are called to focus on others, not ourselves.
Give it a try this week. Relax as much as you can, focus on others, see their gifts not their faults, keep your eyes on something greater than your circumstances and have hope.
Enjoy life!