First of all, obligations. We are all part of organized units... family, school, work, community, church, etc. Each of these creates a different role for us. When you add them all together you can become quite a busy person. So I am a mom, wife, sister, daughter, nurse practitioner, coworker, friend, driver, choir member, church member, committee member, and probably forgot somethings.
Secondly, the expectations that are placed upon you in each of these roles. This to me is the most important part of who we are as a human being. While, if you are like me, you tend to role play and change your personality to fit the role, overall there must remain a common thread of your inner self expression. Each person must learn what his or her core values are and how they relate to other human beings.
Alright then, that gets us to the real center of what I want to say today. What are my expectations for myself or what are my values? For most people this can take a long time to figure out and may change over your lifetime, but I think I have just about arrived at what I feel I expect out of myself. So here goes (no particular order)-
1) Respect for people. While respect is often earned, there is a degree of respect that is always present. I expect that everyone deserves to feel valued as a human being. No one is more important than anyone else.
2) Show kindness- if I am able to show kindness and bring joy into the lives of others, it creates a joy inside of me. I am happiest when I can be with a group of people that can sense the joy of the moment for no other reason than it is there. It doesn't require much- just the ability to relate to other human beings and find what brings them happiness so you can share.
3) Responsibility- I am not able to delegate much in my life because of my strong sense of responsibility. If it is worth doing, it is worth doing well. This creates a sense of being unsettled at times for me because it can create turmoil and become overwhelming.
4) Inner strength- God supplies all our needs. When we allow our Lord to be our guide and plumb line we will spend our lives being fulfilled. When I am happy I thank God for the good and when I am sad or challenged I ask God to help. I don't always get the answer that I expect, but if I listen, I do get an answer.
5) Consistency- a major problem for most people. Don't try to change the rules to suit your need or want. The same rules apply to everyone. Gray is a hard area for me!
I guess this sums up my expectations for myself and others though. I don't have it perfected, but continue to work on the challenges everyday. By identifying the things most important in your life you can begin to trim away excess and form the best you possible. Good luck!
