Be-Do-Have

I learned about Being Doing and Having from a 7-Habits seminar many years ago and have taught the model for years. It is something that I need to remind myself of as I work at self improvment.

Now the world would say that in order to be happy, we should start from the outside circle and "have" certain things. Since I have taught this to a lot of young people, I often use the example that if they "have" perfect grades and "do" whatever it takes to get them then they will "be" happy. The problem is that it is possible to have good grades by cheating. The same thing goes for having a skinny body, you can starve or throw up.

The real place to start is from the inside out by first and foremost being honest, true, chaste, benevolent... Sound familiar? and then "doing" or performing in a way that is true to a heart-felt connection to Heavenly Father.

I have found that working from the outside in is a stressful way of trying to prove myself. Working from the inside out, however, becomes a natural expression of who I really am.

With all of this self-improvement, I have got to be really clear about the fact that it isn't my performance or self discipline that matters, but my dependence on my Heavenly Father and drawing upon the powers of heaven to be true. I can do and do and do but if my heart isn't in the right place, it won't work.