Monday Morning Motivational Message - 12 Life Lessons From St. Thomas Aquinas (Part 1)

How much do you focus on your spiritual development and growth?

We all strive to be better leaders, become more resilient, or have more confidence. We spend time working on our bodies at the gym, or eating better, or reducing the stress in our life.

But what about the spiritual side of our life? How much time each day, or each week, or each month, do we work on the unseen, and often overlooked, part of our being?

Thomas Aquinas was a 13th-century Italian friar, philosopher, and theologian who was canonized as a saint by the Church in 1323.  Thomas was a proponent of natural theology and the father of the school of thought encompassing both theology and philosophy, Thomism. He is considered the most influential thinker of the medieval period.

​In the first part of this two-part Monday Morning Motivational Message, we are going to look at the first six life lessons  we can learn from St. Thomas according to Kevin Vost in his book, 12 Life Lessons from St. Thomas Aquinas. 

1. Accept only the best - We were born to be and have the best in life. But, so many of us don't want to put in the time or work to pursue our purpose and ultimately become the best version of ourselves. Too many people settle for less than the best because they aren't willing to put in the effort to obtain it.

2. Focus on things that matter the most - So much of our life seems to be about "getting" things that we believe will make us happy, when we should be focused on using our unique gifts and talents in a "giving" way. It's not what we get in life that makes us fulfilled, it's what we give. 

3. No Harmony, no peace - By definition, conflict, separates us from peace. We need to have things (relationships, conscience, integrity) in line with the Divine Order. We will only find peace when our lives are ordered by tranquility and love. 

4. Justice begins at home - We've all heard the expression, "Do as I say, not as I do." That quote usually comes from parents regarding a bad habit they hope their children will not pick up from them. Values, discipline, and love are all "learned" in the home. What example are you setting? 

5. Our brothers and sisters aren't heavy - There has never been, nor will there ever be, another person in the history of the world like you. We are all unique and yet our psychology likes to group us with like-minded individuals. We value sameness over the variations. We need to appreciate and embrace the differences we all possess. 

6. Be your own best friend - With the amount of mental illness, alcoholism, and drug abuse in our society, it's obvious many people detest being with themselves. In order for us to elevate others, we need to put forth the effort to like ourselves first.  

Please leave me a comment about what you think of the first six life lessons from St. Thomas Aquinas and watch for lessons 7 - 12, next week.