May the information we share today
become knowledge,
May knowledge become understanding,
And may understanding become action.
And most of all, may we remember that none of us walks this path alone.
–Ed Tirado
Wisdom Thought #1:
For my first wisdom thought, I want you to think about this question for the next 30 days: What do I want my life to look like? Ask yourself this question, right now, out loud: What do I want my life to look like? Now I want you to think of something repetitive in your environment—something that you can notice frequently throughout the day. For example, a sign that you see multiple times per day, or a color, or a number, or a pattern that occurs frequently. Let’s go with the number 2. Then, every time the number 2 presents itself to you throughout the day, you will ask yourself: What do I want my life to look like? After 30 days, you will have asked yourself, hundreds of times: What do I want my life to look like?—the secret is in the repetition, and with time, you should start to notice small ways to shape your life in the direction you want your life to look like. Thanks for reading—that is all. -Ed Tirado
Wisdom Thought #2:
I want to invite you to look at life as a curriculum, a schoolhouse, so to speak. But in no way do I want to undermine the pain and suffering you may have experienced in this life or the hardships still happening, or the pain that you may have caused others.
(A quick side note, staying in an abusive relationship is never part of the curriculum—no one has the right to victimize another—not even in this schoolhouse. However, safety and exit planning should only be done with the help of an expert through a DV hotline.)
This wisdom thought is about a shift, and any shift, in any direction, can only start with the way you see the world, yourself, and how you fit into it.
Seeing life as a curriculum could prompt you to ask yourself, frequently, what am I learning from this situation right now. And ponder that you don’t want to go through life repeating the same lessons.
So, aim for being stable in the direction that you want to shape your life, applying the lessons at hand, always in small steps. Thanks for reading—that is all. -Ed Tirado
Wisdom Thought #3:
I want to suggest three types of individuals in life: the Tumbleweed, the Sailboat, and the Rocket. Which one are you? Or, more specifically, Which one are you at this very moment?
I should start by saying that we have all been all three of these at different times in our lives—it's possible we’ve been all three in the same day. Perhaps you have reacted without thinking, or adjusted your values to line up with others, or you have chartered a new course and created something new in your life.
Now, tell me which one of these three fits you best right now.
Let’s look at them more closely:
1. I am a tumbleweed. I have no choice, look what they made me do, everything that happens to me is someone else's fault. I am at the mercy of the wind, carried wherever circumstances and my emotions take me. I react to people's comments instead of choosing an effective response.
2. I am a sailboat. I choose my direction but sometimes my thoughts and emotions steer me off course. I cannot control the world, but I have learned how to adjust my sales. I know that circumstances can influence my journey, but I also know I have a choice in how I respond.
3. I am a rocket. I chart my own course. I may notice thoughts and emotions, such as anger, fear, or sadness, but I don't allow them to decide my destination. Rather than waiting for circumstances to change, I create my own momentum guided by gratitude, transformation, wisdom, and service to others.
To summarize, the tumbleweed is carried by the wind, the sailboat learns to navigate it, and the rocket discovers the power to rise above it.
Thanks for reading—that is all. -Ed Tirado