THE EASY PATH

If you are always seeking the easy path,

if you run away from discomfort,

if you are unwilling to endure the slightest adversity,

when the time comes to do work that matters,

you won’t have what it takes.

 

And it’s always time to do work that matters.

EXTERNAL VS. INTERNAL

We think

what stops us,

what holds us back,

what binds us

are the forces of

culture,

commerce,

community.

 

External forces.

 

There is some truth

in this way of thinking.

We are all a part of these systems.

 

But, the larger truth

is that

we create

the stories

which have to strongest

hold on us.

 

“I’ll never get hired.”

“I don’t have enough experience.”

“I’ve been out of work too long.”

“I will mess it up.”

“I’m not ready.”

“What if they hate me?”

“I only get one chance.”

 

Internal forces.

 

Until you break the chains

of your own stories,

until you do the

difficult work of shaping

your internal forces,

you will always blame the

external ones.

 

FACES

We put them on

as if everyday is Halloween.

 

These faces.

 

The work face.

The friend face.

The home face.

The parent face.

The “everything is alright” face.

 

We get so practiced at switching

from one to another,

almost no one notices.  

They see the face we show them.

 

Sometimes, when we’re alone,

we wonder,

where is the “me” face?

 

But we’ve crafted the faces

so carefully;

we’ve played our parts,

so diligently;

we think it could all fall apart,

so easily;

and “me” stays hidden,

almost completely.  

 

Until it doesn’t.

 

There comes a day

when you tire of wearing faces.

 

So, you make the choice

and do the work

to face the fear of rejection.

 

You peel them off,

one

by

one.

You begin to see

who you’ve become.

 

Now it’s no longer a choice

of what face to wear,

you don’t have to choose

YOU are already there.

 

TO FEEL WELCOMED AND WANTED

Being wanted and needed

is every person’s desire.

To feel valued and valuable

feeds our personal fire.

 

Without attention, love, and care,

we know babies stop crying,

turn to the side of the crib,

and soon stop breathing the air.

 

We forget that adults need the same --

to feel welcomed and wanted,

to know someone is glad they came.

 

But if we leave it to others

to make us feel good,

we will be disappointed

and feel misunderstood.  

 

So it is that we must learn,

if we want to feel wanted and needed,

showing others they are valued

must be our concern.

WELL MET

There are days

when the words won’t come,

when the will is weak,

when desire wanes.

 

There are days

when getting up is easy,

when working is flow,

when your appetite is voracious.

 

There are days which pivot

between

full speed ahead

and

full stop.

 

You will know you have done

the hard inner work

when each of these days is

well met.