Reflections
Today,
I want to hide,
run away,
quit.
Today,
everyone else
looks so
successful,
beautiful,
put together.
Today,
all of my efforts
appear to be
a waste,
and
progress
non-existent.
Today,
I am reminded
not to believe
every thought
I have
or
every judgement
I make.
What you are capable of
is tremendous.
Your
skill,
knowledge,
talent,
creativity,
resources
are beyond understanding.
But what is it that
you
will
do?
The disparity between
your capacity
and
your willingness
makes all the difference.
(I call it the “canwill differential”)
Entrepreneurs are told,
“It’s all about the hustle.”
Social media is filled with quotes
encouraging you
to hustle and grind.
There are coaches and seminars
whose frenetic sales pitch point you
toward the hustle lifestyle.
If you listen to these voices,
you could come to believe
hustle
is a new virtue,
part of a new
magic formula
for
success.
In the not so distant past,
there was no joy in
being hustled
and
someone who did
was called a
hustler.
Today, it seems hustle
has been completely
divorced
from those connotations
(or at least they have a
separation agreement).
Funny how things change.
Or are we all just being
hustled?
Savor the days of transition:
birth,
toddling,
first/last day of school,
graduations,
anniversaries,
first/last day of a new job,
mondays,
tuesdays,
wednesdays,
thursdays,
fridays,
saturdays,
sundays.
Savor them.
They are signs of
beginnings,
possibilities,
and
opportunities.
Every. Single. Day.
The work our dreams
require
causes us to
tire
and this is when we discover
how strong our
desire.
Sometimes the most attractive paths
hide the greatest dangers.
We all know someone
who got exactly what
they thought they wanted,
lost everything,
and to themselves
became a stranger.
But, to live life fully,
we cannot stand frozen
at the opening of paths which may be chosen.
We walk forward,
connected to
what
and
who
we value dearly,
venturing out even
when we cannot see
the outcome clearly.
And when we come through
with lessons learned,
we realize we became
ourselves
at every turn.
Multitudes would love to tell you
who you are,
who you are supposed to become,
how you are supposed to behave.
They are more than happy
to offer a definition of
what they think your life
ought to be.
But until you define yourself,
you will always be looking
in someone else’s
dictionary.
Yours is an uncommon life.
Live it.
Every. Single. Day.
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.
