IF you are thinking this Tale is about losing pounds off the body, go ahead and quit reading right now! That is not the focus here, and I am DEFINITELY NOT the right person to listen to on that topic!
The emphasis here is on the ability to “know and accept” that there are times when a person needs to simply “stand away” from the Limelight. This important principle is valid in a good many settings, and I will only use a few examples for you to ponder upon here.
One of the examples, and you KNOW I would bring this one up, is when hunting. Standing out LOUD AND PROUD is generally not conducive to successful hunting, at least not in La Brasada, when pursuing the native animals. Getting small and NOT drawing attention to yourself or your location is by far a better option for success in observations and harvesting. My Grand Dad, Charlie Rosenauer, would often comment on how getting “little and still” was FAR more important than the latest fashions in camo.
Another example I have a good deal of experience in deals with Teaching. When it comes to the SUBJECT matter, that is the most important. The focus needs to be on what the information can teach, not the messenger. Look and Listen to Me, is rarely as successful as addressing what the content and context is from a subject perspective.
The EFFECTIVE Teacher will allow the Learner to personalize the material for THEIR understanding, once certain principles are established. The WHAT and the WHO becomes less significant than the WHY and the HOW in terms of practical applications.
Another example is in the area of Sports. Famed Coach Paul “Bear” Bryant from The University of Alabama was quoted as saying, “When a Team wins, a good coach will give credit to the Players. When a Team loses, the Coach should take on the blame”. I have seen that idea both well used AND badly abused many times from the viewpoint of a Player, Student, and Parent on the personal level along the way.
And similarly, as an Employee and Leader. One of the best bosses and mentors, I have been blessed with is Dr. Robert Zeigler, former President of San Antonio College. We worked as colleagues initially when he was Faculty Senate Chair, and he saw something in a tall, skinny (back then) youngster and became a guiding light for me. Later, I worked directly for him on some significant, long term impact College projects, and we have remained friends for many years now. Dr. Zeigler would often remind me it was FAR better to have folks spend time lifting you UP for a job well done than spending energy trying to bring you DOWN for taking too much personal credit.
I watched our exceptional Preacher, that I have referenced before in a Tale or two, concede the Spotlight to a talented guest the other day at Church. That behavior was the inspiration for this Tale. Thank you, Shane, for reminding me of this important Life Lesson by demonstrating it again. It was an example not lost on me.
I bet if you thought about it for just a few minutes and looked back along your own Life’s Journey, you can recall your own examples and settings where the idea of Making Yourself Smaller was shown in a variety of ways. It seems a good way to Do Life, at least in my way of figuring things out.