The Boston Tragedy...What We Can Learn From it.

While contemplating this week's post, I thought about a number of different things on which to focus.  As with most people this week, the Boston Bombing was heavy on my mind, as I thought about all the innocent people who lost their lives along with those whose lives were forever changed with the injuries they suffered.  From this, I thought about how we often forget how amazingly lucky we all are to be able to see another day and have all of our faculties and bodily functions for our use.  I know I am guilty of sometimes feeling sorry for myself because everything doesn't go as perfectly as I had planned or hoped.  While there is really nothing good that could come from such a tragedy, one of the great side effects of it is that it reminds us all how precious every day is and that tomorrow is never promised.  From this, I thought of several small things that we should always do to not forget this truth and daily keep the right perspective on life.

Tell your loved ones you love them as much as possible.

My sister and my mother are by far the most important women in my life.  We talk fairly often during the course of the week/month and sometimes may tend to bump heads about certain things.  The one thing that we always try to do, however, (regardless of how we may feel about a conversation that may not have pleased either of us) is to end the call with an "I love you." Always telling those you care you about that you love them at every opportunity will make the other person feel good and ensure that they know how special they are to you.  We have all heard of the tragic story of someone saying something completely hurtful to someone in anger haphazardly, thinking they will have the chance to apologize later, only to never get the chance as some tragedy occurs that takes this person from them.  Don't be one of those stories.

Look at the glass as half full

I shared a post earlier this week about how they way we view a situation can have an tremendous impact on how we approach it and the overall outcome.  By accepting a glass half full approach, we give ourselves a much better chance of improving a situation rather than if we approach it negatively.  However, a great by-product of such a view is that it allows us to truly appreciate the good things that we currently have in life as opposed to harping on the negative things that may occur from time to time.  By thinking about how much more difficult others have it, we will be able to face the day with happiness and encouragement that we are still blessed in light of imperfect situations.

Help others

During the Boston bombing, one of the images that was so readily seared into my mind was the number of people who responded to the incident with absolute courage, with no regard for themselves to do everything they could to help those who were injured. Not knowing if there was a third bomb that was waiting to be detonated, these people raced back to the site of the explosion to aid others in need.  This was also the scene during 9/11 when so many of the firefighters and policeman lost their lives running into the building to help others out.  This is one of the things in life that will make our lives so much richer when it is all said and done.  We can try to be selfish and focus only on ourselves, but to truly live a life that has a purpose, we have to consistently help others less fortunate to make sure that we are making a lasting impression on the world while remembering our great blessings at the same time.  This always pays off in the long run because you never know when you may be the one on the other end needing the help...

Ken Middleton is an Account Executive at TEKsystems that specializes in IT staffing and services. He is a graduate of UNC-Pembroke and current MBA student at Scheller College of Business at Georgia Tech.

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