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What You Do Always Counts

© Jerry Lopper

Self empowerment is a choice we make to live with a sense of purpose and responsibility. Based on responses to a poll I ran on the welcome page a few weeks ago, it appears that most visitors to this topic feel self empowered at least part of the time. This article will heighten your awareness and give you a tool to continue your self empowered growth.

Coming out of the library the other day, I saw a man in front of me with a T-shirt emblazoned with the words, "You are what you do when it counts." And the first thing that popped into my mind was that it always counts. Everything we do defines who we are. It may not define who we can be, our best qualities, or our highest self, but what we do always defines who we are being at that specific time.

Whether you feel fully or partially self empowered, or are just exploring the self empowerment landscape, this is true: at this instant what you are doing reflects who you are being.

Pretty heavy stuff this; if you're serious about self improvement, the knowledge that what you are now doing reflects who you are being can take some of the fun out of just hanging around, for hanging around implies a state of being without specific purpose. Now, there's nothing wrong with just being. In fact, just being present in the moment can offer opportunity for insight, reflection, and appreciation of your surroundings. But it's important to be aware that you're just hanging around at this moment and consciously choose to continue or withdraw. This awareness sharpens consciousness and reinforces self empowerment.

I'm certain the T-shirt phrase is meant to address how we behave under difficult and stressful conditions. For example, I'm writing this just after the Gulf states of the US were hit hard by the category 4 hurricane, Katrina, which caused widespread destruction and loss of life. In the terrible aftermath of Katrina, we saw a full range of human behavior. Some rose to heroic heights, rescuing other survivors though they, too, had lost much. Others behaved much differently, using the opportunity for lawless and harmful behavior. Though perhaps not consciously, people chose who to be and demonstrated their choices by their behavior.

It is true that what we do under stressful conditions shows much about the strength of our convictions of who we are. I can be generous and giving when I have plenty. Can I still be generous and giving when nearly all I have is lost? I can if my conviction is strong.

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