“Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson
Nothing has served me so well as beginning the journey of seeking to really get to know myself… as an unique individual & as a member of the human family as a whole, with our impressive potential (for joy, kindness, excellence, service, change, growth), but as well, our less honourable human tendencies…
(those that seem to generate more regret, anxiety & shame…)
THE CONVERSE TRAP
Perhaps it sounds a bit strange but, for a long time, I didn’t really know myself… I din’t really know what I wanted, what I was all about… what my human tendencies where & how to deal with it all… (And to be honest, it’s a journey… I’m a work in progress. It’s a constant process of revealing more of who I was made to become.)
You know… I really didn’t see things for what they were… I didn’t see & understand that my desire to be liked, validated & popular wasn’t going to work in the long run…
So, instead of walking my own path, I simply sought to fit in… be like the others… This is such a common pattern we see… The human tendency to “just want to fit in.”
I remember when I was sixteen and it was time to enter a new school & class. This was the time when everyone had white converse shoes… And I clearly remember how I thought: “If I buy white Converse shoes, I’ll be ok… I’ll be one of them.”
I came to the class and about 90% of the class had… that’s right, white converse shoes…
THE NEVER ENDING GAME OF MORE
See, in a materialistic culture (where we tend to think that we can buy an increase in self-worth), it’s easy to be ok – to fit in, to feel worthy... You just buy the stuff and do the stuff as those around you. But its a never ending game…
I mean… have you really considered the nature of the culture you’re seeking to fit into?
Where does their path lead?
What kind of life can you see down the road if you continue on this path?
Is that really what you want?
Make yourself a favour and ask yourself some more powerful questions:
What would I love to do?
What would be really fulfilling for me to pursue?
How can I be more happy, fulfilled, excited, peaceful today?
Who do I look up to?
What are the qualities I most admire?
How can embody those a bit more right now, in this moment?
***
I wish you to break free from who you think you should be, so that you can become who you where meant to be…
A POWERFUL EXERCISE
Here’s an exercise that may help:
Imagine you won 5 000 000 USD, and it’s not three months later… It’s a normal day… What are you spending your time doing this day? What are you focusing on? What are you doing? Where does that lead? How does that make you fulfilled?
Map out a normal day on a piece of paper, what you would do if you did’t need to work for survival…
This helps you uncover your real desires, based on your current level of awareness. 🙂
I asked a kid this question, and based of his level of awareness, he answered: “Candy land, I would go to Candy land…”
You might find similar answers, where pleasure is the main objective… Pleasure on pleasure… But this answer is based on a limited awareness of what makes a truly fulfilling life, if that’s what you’re looking for…? 🙂
So, when you’ve found the answers and mapped out the day, go thorough with a pen and underline everything you actually could be doing right now, today…
For example, if you are passionate about painting and wrote that you’d paint every day, in the morning…
But are you doing this now? Are you carving out time to do these things today?
The goal is that you get to carve out AS MUCH TIME AS POSSIBLE for the things that truly matter to you, the things that truly makes your soul sing, the things you LOVE.
I mean… if you say that you LOVE it, you have to find a way to do it… Otherwise what’s going to happen is that you spend your precious time doing things you really don’t TRULY LOVE, like watching TV, browsing through Facebook and diving deep into endless distractions….
“LOVE WILL FIND A WAY, EVERYTHING ELSE WILL FIND AN EXCUSE.”
– Preston Smiles
When you actually START NOW, to do what you truly LOVE, you will be ready when the time comes that you are more free…
When you START NOW, you will have developed the DISCIPLINE, that it actually takes to FOLLOW YOUR PASSIONS in a consistent manner…
Because nothing…. really nothing, worthwhile comes with 100% ease….
Beautiful things take time to grow…
***
What would you love to do? How can you start with something small today?
I wish you all the best!
With love & respect,
Daniel
DANIEL GALOVAN 