Determination?

     Recently someone described  one of their partner's strong qualities as Determination. They said their partner is clear about what they want and have the ability to stay focused on that goal. What a beautiful quality to have. Imagine if you will the strength it takes to have the for with all to not lose sight of what you truly desire and aspire to achieve.  As I thought about those words, the word Dedication popped into my head. So, as I often do, I looked up the meaning of each one. 
    It seems Determination is defined as a: firm or fixed intention. an act of making sure of the position, size, or nature of something. An example: She set out with determination to complete the journey. Dedication is defined as: the quality of being dedicated or committed to a task or purpose. An example: "He has a strong dedication to his duties."
      I pondered the difference and surmised that Determination is first required to become Dedicated to whatever you Determine is to be important. Once that is clear, then one can become Dedicated to seeing it through. Both are equally important; however, until someone is clear with what and where they want their focus to be, Dedication cannot occur.  Which means if you truly want to have something to hold as your purpose, you must first be clear of your intention. 
      Semantics is an important key to communications. And that is defined as: the meaning of a word, phrase, sentence, or text. An example: "such quibbling over semantics may seem petty stuff." However, how "petty" are words when they have the ability to either heal or harm every form of relationships. 
      To truly have a happy, healthy life, each of us must take a bit of time each day to reflect on our intention for that day, then become Dedicated to have it shows-up in our lives. Do our words match our actions? Are they smooth and round, or sharp and pointy? One of the most important qualities each of us can have is the ability to trust ourselves to "treat people the way we want to be treated." To do this, we need to look in the mirror and, honestly, ask ourselves, "Am I practicing what I preach?" "Am I living by what I espouse to be of importance?"
       With so much focus on "personal freedom," these two words are very necessary. If we are going to reunite as a family, community and country, we must Determine our personal intention, then become Dedicated to living it. Just a bit of "Food for thought!" Your comments are also welcomed!
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