As we embrace the last warm rays and carefree gifts of summer, and head into a busy fall season, we need to keep our feet on the ground but our eyes to the sky. Although September is typically a time when we feel a little loss at letting go, we can shift our perspective and focus on the soaring ahead, our ‘eagle nature’ and the treasures that come with supporting others.
This month’s Anderson Connect is a quick hit, intent on breathing positivity into your days and empowering you to rise to the opportunities in the month ahead.
Today’s read is approximately 5 minutes.
Inside this Edition:
- A Thought to Ponder
- A Short Story to Inspire
- 2 Short Videos to Motivate
A Thought to Ponder – See the Light
“Keep your face always toward the sunshine, and shadows will fall behind you.” ~ Walt Whitman
No matter how long these dazzling days of sunshine last, remember that the light is always present. When we attend to what glows in our lives, somehow the shadows dim, and we are able to be lighter and brighter. Focus on those habits, rituals, people, and ways of viewing your moments, that alleviate stress and worry and give your life that positive perspective that brings peace and joy.
A Short Story – The Eagle and Chicken
When someone mentions an eagle, what do you think of?
Many people imagine an extraordinary bird, flying high up in the air, with its wings spread, soaring gracefully with little effort. Its keen eyesight can spot a meal miles below, dive at wild speeds and grip its prey in sharp talons, scoring a tasty morsel every time.
The eagle is called the king of the birds, known for its superior strength, vision and ability to achieve exactly what it needs and desires.
A story is told of a man who found an eagle’s egg. Unable to determine where it had fallen from or where its mother was, he brought it home and put in the chicken coop with his hens.
Soon the egg hatched. The young eagle grew up with all the other chickens. Whatever the chickens did, the eagle did also. Of course, he thought he was a chicken just like them.
Since the chickens could only fly a short distance, the eagle also learned to fly only a short distance. He thought that was what he was supposed to do. So that was all he thought he could do and thus all he was able to do.
One day the eagle saw a bird soaring high above him. He was amazed. “Who is that?” he asked the hens around him.
“That’s the eagle, the king of the birds,” the hens told him. “He belongs to the sky. We belong to the earth – we are chickens.”
And so, sadly, unable to see beyond the limits of those he was raised with and his own beliefs, he lived out his life as a chicken, never taking to the sky.
Moral of the story: You become what you believe you are.
There are times in our lives when we listen to those around us; if they believe they are limited in what they can achieve, they will draw comfort convincing you that you too are limited.
But rest assured, You are an Eagle.
As an Anderson College student you have seen that the sky is for you. Face challenges with courage; spread your wings and know that in time, with perseverance, You Will Soar.
2 Short Videos to Motivate
A Joy Story
Mr. Indifferent
Ignore, in the days ahead take moments to see yourself in the light of possibility, share your glow with others and know there is no limit to the heights you can reach when you believe!
~ Your Anderson College Fans!
