Our lives are defined and valued by our "leaning moments."
“The people that we can easily say we love are the ones that we have a positive predictability for Leaning Moments”
The Leaning Philosophy
Where the “Leaning” philosophy was born.
I first discovered the Leaning Philosophy in Art History class at Coastal Carolina, during a discussion about a painting. The painting was of a man “leaning” towards his house, and all the students kept saying he is “going home”. Nobody mentioned “Leaning” but I saw something. On the way home that day it clicked, the students could tell where that man was going because he was “leaning” towards his goal. That day I realized that when people can see where you are going, or which direction you are leaning, they will gladly open doors for you. Ralph Waldo Emerson said “the world makes way for those who know where they are going”.
How it affected my life.
I went to college after high school and dropped out. I went back at the age of 29 with fear and anxiety, but when I discovered the power of leaning in Art History, my life changed. Instead of it taking 4 years to graduate I was able to get my BS in a year and 9 months with 3.67 GPA, Cum Laude. Then go to law school, and achieve my goal of retiring after 10 years, so I could focus on my ultimate goal, to help others. This was primarily due to discovering the power of “leaning”. Although leaning helped me achieve my goals, it came to me later, through observation and conversation, how powerful it was for our personal and spiritual lives, as well. And that, surprisingly turned out to be the most important role of the leaning philosophy.
What is a leaner?
A man that knew my work referred me to a book called “One more day”, by Mitch Album. It’s about a man who tried to commit suicide, but survived. Upon reflecting back to when the man was a child and his parents separated, he said, “I should have gone with the parent that leaned to me”. So what is a leaner? It is those people that lean to you, their neighbor, and into their work. Leaners are proactive in creating leaning moments.
What are leaning moments?
“Leaning Moments” are those moments that connect us with one another.
Who are the “Leaners” in your life?
When James was a boy there were three very important “Leaners” in his life.
They were the people that “leaned” to him with kindness, and he could tell their spirits were different because of their actions. Even though some interactions were brief, it left a lasting impression that he is still grateful for.
Who are the “Leaners” in your life? Only Leaners produce Leaners. Therefore, if you consider yourself a “Leaner”, there will be at least one person you can go back to that helped shape your life. A leaner can be anyone. It may be a parent, grandparent, teacher, neighbor, or a “step-up”. “Step-up” is a phrase that James coined to describe a person who sees when there is a need for action to help someone else, and “steps-up”.
Mom or Dad
Grandparent
Teacher
Neighbor
"Step-up"
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