December 10, is National Nobel Peace Prize Day. It was interesting to find out some more information about the Nobel Peace Prize and how it came into being.
The Nobel Peace Prizes were created after the death of a Swedish chemist named Alfred Nobel. Alfred Nobel invented dynamite. He thought his invention would end all wars. Unfortunately, most people only saw dynamite as a deadly product. When Alfred Nobel’s brother died in 1888, a newspaper wrote the obituary for Alfred by mistake and called him the “merchant of death”. This shocked Alfred, because he wanted to be written in the history books as a positive influence. He was horrified that he was viewed in this way. Therefore, he decided to establish the Nobel Peace Prizes after his death so that he would be viewed as a someone who contributed to society in a good way.
Since inception, the Nobel Peace Prizes award five prizes a year for physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, literature, and peace to those who, during the previous year, gave the greatest benefit to mankind. There was a lot of unsettled feelings in the family after the reading of his will and it delayed the first award process to five years after his death.
The biggest lesson from his experience was that it took a shock of seeing what he was leaving behind as a legacy. He had thought he was doing good by inventing dynamite, but the result was the opposite of what he truly wanted. When his obituary was written in error, he was able to see how his life had impacted others while he was still alive. Unfortunately, most people don’t have the opportunity to see how their lives have touched others while they are still alive and we really don’t think too much about our own contributions because we are too busy just surviving!
This made me ask myself a few questions and I am going to share them with you:
– What legacy are you leaving behind for others after you are gone?
– Are you paying attention to how you are showing up in your life or are you just going thru your days feeling unfulfilled and doing normal everyday, boring things?
– Are you living your dream and are you doing what you love today or are you putting it off tomorrow? There may be NO tomorrow!
If your answer is “no” to any of these questions, it’s time to begin working on what you love NOW!
What lights your fire and makes you excited to get out of bed every day?
If you’re a parent, living a joyful and fulfilling life is the best example that you can give your family.
I know that one of my personal favorites is using my creativity. Anytime that I can do some painting or any other activity that allows me to express myself I get calm, centered, and feel at peace. The most amazing thing that I have found by painting with Intentional Creativity is that I have learned so much about myself while I’m having fun.
If you would like to paint with me while you learn about yourself, have a look around at www.painttheway.com and Change Your Life!.
I hope to paint with you soon!
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