"Poverty and shame will come to him who neglects discipline, but he who regards reproof will be honored"
This whole chapter could be labeled: “The Chapter on Income Principles for Financial Freedom.”
The idea of reproof being education about how you come across to others and their expectations of you is probably the most helpful way of seeing rebuke. When we can get past our defensiveness about others seeing us as less than perfect, we have the chance of improving. As long as we try and continue the charade that people only see our good sides, they will most likely focus on our bad sides.
This is really an alignment exercise. How do people really see you and especially those who know you best? One of the best opening lines to this issue of saying the hard thing to others is the phrase: "Let me tell you how I perceive you. I see that you say that you are interested in this or that or that this thing or that thing is very important to you, but I really see you spend all your time on personal pleasures and personal pursuits..."
The ability to hear those kinds of honest assessments about ourselves separates the person who really wants to have a great relationship and a great life from those who just want to please themselves and be viewed as being right and good and benevolent.
Until tomorrow,
Gil Stieglitz