Stop for Cows

Alex Colville's Stop for Cows, circa 1967, features a young woman in shorts and a sleeveless top ushering a herd of jersey cows along the road.  Farmland stretches on either side.  In the background is a string of mountains, likely the Appalachians of Nova Scotia.  The cows are not in a hurry; it harkens back to a slower pace of life.

It reminds me of a scene from the movie Leap Year in which Amy Adams character ushers a handful of cattle off the road in order that her and her chauffeur may continue on their journey to Dublin.  All seems well with the world until Amy looks down at her designer shoe and discovers it's covered in manure.

https://curiator.com/art/alex-colville/stop-for-cows

Live in Harmony with Your Values

"For what [has] a man profited if he shall gain the whole world but lose his soul?" (Mark 8:36)

Brian Tracy says:  "Any attempt to live on the outside in a manner that contradicts the values you hold on the inside will cause you stress, negativity, unhappiness, pessimism, and even anger and frustration."   You must clarify your values before you set out to achieve your goals.  Think of yourself as a mountaineer setting out to climb a mountain.  First, you must collect your array of tools that you must take with you in order to make the summit.  If you go without these tools, you will not make it very far up the mountain.  Similarly, if you don't identify your values, you will not make it very far in your conquest of your goals.

The Bible says:  "For what [has] a man profited if he shall gain the whole world but lose his soul?" (Mark 8:36)  The happiest people are those living in harmony with their beliefs and values; the unhappiest people are those who live in discord with their beliefs and values.  No amount of pills or alcohol or food can make it all right if you are living a lie.  "Your goals must be congruent with your values and your values must be congruent with your goals." 

"You demonstrate your values in your actions, especially your actions under pressure," explains Brian Tracy.  One of my favourite movies, Leap Year, demonstrates this truth.  Amy Adams plays a woman who is torn between two men, an American and an Irishman.  The former, played by Adam Scott, is a successful cardiologist who lives in a beautiful condo in Boston.  The latter, played by Matthew Goode, is a down on his luck tavern owner from Dublin.  On a trip to Ireland, the American finally proposes to Amy.  She returns to Boston to live in the condo with her fiance.  However, shortly after, the fire alarm goes off and Amy's fiance is scrambling to find his laptop.  He doesn't even make sure that Amy is safe.  The cardiologist's actions under pressure reveal his true values.  Amy has her answer and takes the first flight back to Ireland where she gets a proposal from the Irishman (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1216492/).

Mark 8:36 courtesy https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Mark-8-36/.