Natural Experimenters

Children are natural experimenters.  How many times have you surreptitiously watched a child from afar?  Did you see how she was amazed and curious, cautiously playing, yet driven to discover the hows and whys.  At this stage of life’s long journey, innocence pushes way caution.  Did you hold your breath as your precious charge came perilously close to an unseen danger?  Did you feel your muscles tense, preparing to lunge to assist, but hesitated because you knew it was better to wait to see the outcome? Preserving freedom to try is so much harder than snatching from danger!

A Grand Experiment!

Life is a grand experiment.  That viewpoint stems from both philosophical and religious belief.  You might not agree with that statement, but understanding it will explain my passion for improvement.  This mortal existence is not just a test but it is also both a training field and a proving ground.  Not a proving ground in the sense of having succeeded or failed, but rather whether the knowledge, experience, and characteristics that you possess have prepared to meet what life and beyond holds in store.

Think for a moment about the idea that you have a Heavenly Father, who has a plan of growth and preparation for you.  A well known statement from LDS scripture summarizes the importance that those of my faith believe that God places in our progression:

“For behold, this is my work and my glory- to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.”  Moses 1:39

This scripture is not shared to convince anyone of the correctness of my belief, but to enlighten on the driving force that guides a quest.  Another scriptural statement anchors this example;

“Whatever principle of intelligence we attain unto in this life, it will rise with us in the resurrection.   And if a person gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life through his diligence and obedience than another, he will have so much the advantage in the world to come.  D&C 130:18-19

Couple those two references together and you might see that my frame of reference for activity and experience tends towards purposeful involvement and effort in life.  For me, life is not only precious but an opportunity to progress. This point of view colors everything that I do in some way.  It drives time spent in pursuit of learning. It enhances the outlook that we are all children on a path, with value and potential derived from a loving Heavenly Father which, in turn shades relationships and ministry to others.  But most importantly, it lends a sense of purpose to the concept of life as a laboratory of learning and development.

Now, can you see why I have a burning desire to learn and grow?  I would like you to also understand that desire extends to you as well.  Each of my posts on this blog will center around some aspect of our involvement in continuous improvement and performance development.  That is what I do both in my professional and my personal life.  I love to help people succeed!

light the Flame

So, back to where we started, Life is indeed a Grand Experiment!

 And what short term experiment would I recommend you try for the next few days?

Please spend time in whatever fashion meets your needs, whether it be in the scripture of your faith, or in simple meditation or introspection, but please contemplate your own value and potential.   Knowing the potential for the release of energy is what causes us to strike a match.  In other words, find your own potential and light that match.

As always, I encourage you to provide feedback using the form below.  I want to know what works for you, and what doesn’t….    after all, this blog is an experiment as well!

Till next time.