Life is a journey we undertake with treasures to pick along the way. Some treasures happen to be gems and others just stones. The treasures are not as important as the experience we have along the way! But, having said this, some value the treasures more than the experience or the people they meet on the way, the people they befriend or they marry! So, my question is “What matters to you most?” “What would you cross the I-Beam for?
This poignant question is asked by Hyrum W. Smith. Smith is the author of 10 Natural Laws of Successful Time and Life Management (1994) and What Matters Most (2001) as well as other audio tapes.
An I-Beam is also known as ‘H-Beam’ is used for construction. If that was placed across the rooftop of two buildings and you were offered a million dollars, would you cross it? No, I don’t think so. We wouldn’t be around to get the million bucks. Or, if someone you love was in the building across, now would you cross it? Of course,without a doubt!!
This question struck me as deep for self reflection. We touched on self inspection and forming new habits in a previous article. Last week, we spoke about Stephen Covey, who offers a practical outlook and ways of dealing with situations in life.
The I-Beam question above invites you to tap into your emotional side. The I-Beam can be used as a metaphor for how far you would go to attain something. The question asks you to dive deep inside you to discover your inner set of values and what matters most.
Use the ideas from Covey and Smith to bring about personal change.
Are you ready?
Aarti Iyer is a Sydneysider who originally hails from Mumbai, India. She has a Masters Degree in Human Resources Management from the University of Sydney,speaks fluent French and is currently working towards her doctorate in Leadership. She is passionate about writing and author of the book “The Story of a Girl, 60Se ...
