Put The Man Back Together

January 29, 2013 by Matt_S_Law 1 Comment

I’ve heard this story several times in several variations:

An executive is busy working in his home office when his 6-year-old son comes in and starts asking him to play. After much persistence followed by much frustration, the exec pulls out a magazine and opens it to a large fold-out map of the world. Pulling out the map, he cuts it into hundreds of tiny pieces and gives them to his son. “here, son, after you put together this map of the world, then I’ll play with you.” Knowing that a 6-year-old has no idea what a map of the world looks like, he assumed that this task should keep his son busy for at least a couple hours. But ten minutes later his son came back into the office and said “All done, daddy.” The executive thought his son was exaggerating, but upon going into the living room, the entire map was perfectly assembled. “Son, how on Earth did you figure out how to do this so quickly?” “It was easy, Daddy.” the boy began turning over the pieces one at a time, and as he did, his father saw that on the other side of the world map was a photograph of a man. “You see, Daddy. When you put the man together the whole world falls into place.” (that’s profound, you should totally tweet that).

I have a vision to positively impact peoples lives. To help “put the man back together,” so that the world falls into place. Well, women too, but let’s face it men need more work.

I’m not passionate about much, but I am passionate about personal growth. I’m a firm believer in changing the world through changing the individual. But the only individual that I have complete responsibility and control over is myself.

“Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.” – Leo Tolstoy

To be the person I want to be requires progressive, persistent, personal growth. I want to make sure that I am prepared when an opportunity arises to positively impact someone. The only way for me to be prepared is to be always preparing and learning.

I read every day to grow myself, so that I can also write every day and hopefully lift up others. I also hope that in my day to day meanderings through life that I can uplift those around me. I also encourage others to begin their own journey of personal growth.

Always be learning.

Always be growing.

An unwillingness to learn and grow does not equal “stasis” it equals “deterioration.”

Even Leonardo da Vinci, probably the single most talented human ever (if that is indeed what he was) was continually learning new skills, new fields, new methods. He wrote “Iron rusts from disuse; stagnant water loses its purity and in cold weather becomes frozen; even so does inaction sap the vigor of the mind.”

If you are not moving forward, you are falling backwards. Physically, mentally, spiritually, relationally. It’s not your fault, it’s the universal law of entropy working against you.

There comes a time in every parents life when they can no longer help their kids with homework. Here’s a news flash for you: That’s only partially because the child is progressing.

Invest 15 minutes into improving yourself every day in some way. In some way that is in line with your personal vision for yourself or your family.

What is something specific in your life that you would like to improve upon?