Be Careful Where You Walk, Someone Is Following Your Footsteps
Caring for others means we must care for ourselves.
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It is natural. When we care for others, we focus on them and not ourselves. But they look to us, to our example, and they imprint our story on themselves. We must be careful.
There is a meme that goes like this.
A father turns to his son and says, “Be careful where you walk.” The son replied, “You be careful, I am walking in your footsteps.”
What are the footsteps that we leave behind for others to follow?
Have you ever walked with someone through the deep snow? One person must break the path. They must trample down the snow to make the trail easier for the other to follow.
Walking carefully so others can follow is a sacrificial effort. We work and we struggle in the hopes of making it easier for the people we love. But we are not just making it easier. We also hope that our effort is uplifting. We want their life to be both easier and better than our own.
There is a saying that it takes three generations to make a millionaire. Each generation breaks a little more trail and makes the path to success a little easier for the following generation. But whether others become rich in money or in another way, their efforts are all tied together.
In order for it all to work together we must take care of ourselves. People, especially our children, look to us and learn from what we do. We must remember that we are teaching them by what we say, the advice we give, and through the silent lessons of our own behavior.
James McGinley, PhD is a professor, author, certified life coach, and licensed counselor.Books/Blog — Facebook — Instagram — YouTube, The Coping Expert, Twitter
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