It’s important to stay positive. I think that is one of the key ingredients to creating a great life. It is also important to stay true to yourself and be clear about your inner motivations and intentions.
Agenda’s are those underlying concepts and desires that structure how we operate in the world. They are our special interests – those things we feel passionate about and want to promote. They are the things that are at the bottom of our personal goals.
Most of us who are dedicated to personal growth have some sense of our place in the world, of being part of a community, whether that is global, our countries, our towns, our neighborhood or even our own small circle. We are part of a system, many systems in fact, and although we are ultimately only responsible for ourselves it would be foolish not to see that we have an impact and that we influence our communities too.
Whether we do this positively, or negatively depends on our ability to be clear about our own personal agendas. Agendas are born, nurtured and sustained by our beliefs about our world and our place in it. Agendas are directly related to our self-esteem and what we want to accomplish.
We all have agendas.
Agendas can be positive, negative… and in rare cases, neutral. Agendas can come from ambitions, and from a sense of service and connection. Agendas can help us focus on our direction and stay on track with our values. Agendas from a place of love and service influence others in positive ways, especially if we are flexible and willing to adjust our agendas to work with others.
Agendas can also come from ego. When they come from ego it’s directly related to fear… usually a fear of losing something, whether that is fear of losing what you need to survive, losing love, losing status, or losing control of something. Agendas from fear are filled with deception, manipulation and only serve the self. These kind of agendas don’t consider the impact they have on others and can bulldoze others in their need to dominate.
Personal development, at its core, is about awareness. It’s about aligning with our highest selves. It’s about assessing who we are and then discarding what we don’t like and acquiring or uncovering what we do like. Our intentions and our passions are the road markers on this path. With awareness our world gets larger and we can see a little further than before. We can see that we affect the people around us, we affect our communities and the world too.
Do we want this impact to be positive, or negative?
Being clear about what motivates us is the key to this process. Knowing what our agendas are makes it possible for us to consciously develop them so that they serve us, and others in positive ways. It prevents us from acting from a position of fear. Being honest about our own personal agendas is the way to bring them in conscious awareness and ensure they align with our values and ethics.
Personal agendas are a fact of life. Like any of our personality traits—quick to anger/slow to start, need to lead/prefer to follow—they have both positive and negative qualities. The key is to acknowledge them openly and work with them. Only then can we move in a shared direction, applying our ideas and passions for the greater good of all.
Everyone has an agenda. Are you aware of yours?
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