It is not given to us to know what difference we can make, and perhaps we can make no difference at all. But that is no reason not to make the attempt," said Saliman quietly. "The Light shines more brightly in the darkness.
Alison Croggon, The Crow
Do you remember the days when you'd be counting sleeps to some exciting event? It didn’t matter what it was, a birthday party, Christmas, or simply a tooth falling but you'd be busting out your skin with 'Donkey-like-are-we-there-yet' impatience. Sadly, as I've got older the only things keeping me awake at night are stress and worries. It makes me wonder what happened to that overwhelming exuberance. Where did it go? And is the joy still there? Curiosity is an amazing thing, it has children eating sand and bugs and driving you mad with why questions and is something we easily outgrow. The more experience we have, the more certain we become and the less time we take to explore and discover why something is like it is. We start skipping the step of actual experience and go straight to the mental computation of what we expect to happen, from either our own, or someone else's past experience.
The truth is that no two people or two situations are alike, similar maybe, but identical? No. When we start engaging with our life with a sense of adventure, a childlike curiosity, it changes. In Zen Buddhism it's called Beginner's Mind. It is having an attitude of openness, eagerness, and lack of preconceptions when studying a subject. In coaching, that subject is you.
It is a fascinating process to spend time with yourself asking quality questions like the good old fashioned 'Why?' Why on earth am I doing what I do, thinking what I think and saying what I say? The moment we get curious about ourselves and our life and start poking around in the dirt, so to speak, it changes everything. Sometimes, hidden within the muck of past failures and fears, or fortress like defences and sadness, we find the shining light of acceptance and kindness, our jewel of joy. This is the beauty of getting to know yourself, of living in the moment and paying attention to important things like your breath and the little moments that make life worth living.
It is a journey worth making. One that frees you from old habits that are no longer relevant. For the next few days make an effort to cultivate a sense of adventure, play with your world, do something differently, speak up if you are shy, stay silent if you are a chatterbox. Wonder, instead of decide what will happen and watch yourself to come back to life.
Comments
Nina
aworldofdresses.com