When I was a boy, every year my family would gather around the television and watch the iconic movie, “The Wizard Of Oz”.
And every year my mother would relish in her favorite line, that poignant moment when the Wizard is at last revealed:
“Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain!”
Oh, that curtain! We all have an inner self, the part of us that is not so readily apparent, the part that is behind our curtain. As Stephen Covey writes in “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People”, good emotional and behavioral health starts with what is inside.
In today’s world there is all too much emphasis on public image and quick fixes. So many yearn for those fifteen minutes of fame which, of course, ends after fifteen minutes.
How much better it is to do the hard work on one’s inner self. To connect with our soul. To develop character with integrity, humility, honesty, patience, and courage …..which last forever.
So start inside, and then from that inner core, go out with all your gusto and spark up the world.
P.S. - speaking of courage, the other “Wizard Of Oz” scene my mother delighted in was when the cowardly leaped through the window!
P.S.S. How I miss my mother.
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