Reflections
When you invite someone
into the
deep mystery,
possible purpose,
and
powerful potential
of their life;
When you challenge them
to go
deeper
and
further;
When you let them fail,
but never waiver in support;
you become more than
a mentor,
a manager,
a boss,
a friend.
You become something
unnameable
and
your impact becomes
immeasurable.
If you learn to be present with
your lover,
your co-worker,
your art;
if you can be
where are you
and not
wishing you were somewhere else
with someone else
doing something else;
you may find that
all else disappears.
We think it’s just easier
to hide,
to play the game,
to lay low,
to stay under the radar,
to meet all expectations,
rather than
be vulnerable,
care,
stand up,
give,
say No.
We think it’s easier,
but it’s not really
living.
We change our minds
in an instant.
But how often have you heard,
“I changed my heart?”
It is much more likely to hear,
“She stole my heart.”
“He broke my heart.”
“My heart just wasn’t in it.”
or
“”What does your heart tell you?”
It seems we believe the mind is
malleable, fluid, ever changing,
while our heart is
intuitive, intelligent, steadfast.
Yet, more often than not,
we use our
ever changing, ever changeable
minds
to make decisions.
We weigh
the logic,
the reasons,
the strategy
and come up with
decisions
that often lack...
heart.
What would happen
if we began to consult our hearts
more often?
There’s primal fear -
a bear charging,
a man pointing a gun,
looking over the edge of a cliff.
There is mind fear -
“What will they think of me?”
“I might fail,”
“No one will understand.”
One is quite real,
based in facing something
tangible,
animal,
human,
outside of one’s self.
The other is in our imaginations,
based on conclusions drawn
from limited or no evidence.
We get these confused at our peril.
When was the last time you
cursed yourself,
held a grudge,
quit too early,
stayed too long,
lost your temper,
gave into fear,
didn’t speak up,
set someone straight,
hid?
Make it the last time.
When you stop wishing
for magic or luck.
When you stop cursing
genetics or parenting.
When you stop hoping
for a different situation or environment.
When you stop,
you can start
identifying your resources,
gathering your courage,
making your plans,
and
taking action.
When you stop
is when you start.
When the days get
dark,
it’s good to know how to make your own
light.
Practice making light
Every. Single. Day.
Every day
when you wake up,
you have an opportunity to
rise up,
rise above,
and overcome.
Every day
when you show up,
you have an opportunity to
raise up,
lift up,
and encourage.
Every day,
you have an opportunity
to become more like
the person you want to be.
Will you take advantage of this
every day opportunity?
When telling the hero’s journey,
movies,
books,
television
stop at what seems like the end,
but is only the first act.
The hero’s journey
doesn’t end
when she has
discovered her true identity,
conquered her fears,
conquered her enemy,
completed her quest.
The journey continues
as she has to learn what
hero living
really is,
every. single. day.
(Your hero’s journey continues today too.)
