What thing(s) did you always seem to gravitate to as a child? What special thing(s) could you find yourself doing for hours on end? What always seemed to give you so much joy or pleasure? What is it that you seem to have always done with such ease that might not be so easy for someone else or cause them to cringe when they think of doing it? If we actually stop and reflect on the answers to these questions we can find that we have carried some form of these elements into our adulthood. I often tell people that as a child I was always writing something using words that I didn't know how to spell but I knew how to use them. I know that I used to irritate my mom because she was a victim of my writing spells. ha! ha! ha! (no pun intended) She was the one that I bothered with how to spell the words I chose for what I was writing, whether it was a short story or a poem. I quickly learned how to use the dictionary and my skills in phonics to find my words when she started telling me to use words I knew how to spell (mmmm...I guess she taught me early the value of a dictionary). But I digress. Not only was I always writing as a child but I daydreamed alot. I used to draw alot; I wanted to be an artist at one time. In my early teens I started writing and composing songs. I used to sing around the house alot, and then started singing solos publically at church. I'm saying all this to point out that though I do not have a career in any of these things I have come to find out overtime that these are simply elements of a creative spirit, which I possess. And unless I have outlets or seek out opportunities to use my natural given creativity I can not live with the level of joy I should have in my life. It's the same for all of us.
Often we look for our careers, jobs, or other people to give us the level of joy we expect. And when that expectancy falls short we're disappointed. It's true that your job/career can offer you the element of joy and satisfaction you look for but how many of us really have that opportunity to do what is naturally part of our makeup as our number one source of income? Sure, we should seek out ways to do that if at all possible but in the meantime, until we get there we need to seek those other avenues to be true to who we are as individuals. We should never rely on what is necessary to support ourselves to encompass everything that makes us who we are. Also, we should never settle for doing what is comfortable because we're afraid to do what needs to be done to walk in our divine makeup. Often when I write I use "we" or "our" because though I may write for an audience, often what I write is for myself. Before we can inspire others we ourselves have to be inspired. Encouraging another never means we've "arrived" but it should mean we're moving in the right direction ourselves.
So, won't you make a promise to me and yourself today? Let's make the decision and effort to go on a much needed journey of rediscovery. Let's go on that journey of rediscovering who we are as individuals. And while we're rediscovering, let's not be afraid of what we find. Maybe you'll find things out about yourself that you didn't realize before. You can never improve on the person that you want to be until you first realize what needs to be improved. Happy trails!
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