Exhausting Your Talent (Rather than Suppressing it)
There’s a fine line between living life and experiencing it.
We all know at this point that action is a key, right?
Action isn’t the only key though…
So is intention, clarity, discipline, essentialism, decisiveness, planning, etc.
It’s like you have to be a lowly janitor just to have access to all the doors.
Ironic much?
So…how are we supposed to know if we’re just living life or truly living life?
Well, it’s not just what gets us to success, it’s also what gets us to live daily as the person who holds that success.
The difference between getting success and living success?
We can start living success today.
And I’m guilty AF for not doing it too.
…
When I really think about it I’ve done a lot of crazy things in my life. I’ve had a hell of a lot of fun, even when it was done without direction and wasn’t life-fulfilling.
I’m far more intentional now.
I have a mission, although still abstract. I have a direction that feels like a real possibility. A responsibility. An obligation.
In my opinion, we should see ourselves as some version of Atlas, the man that holds up the world.
You have to interpret it correctly though.
You have to see it as using your gift, your strength, and your power to support the world.
Not you just exhausting yourself under an endlessly heavy weight put on you by the pressures of society by doing things that mean nothing to you.
Perspective changes everything…
The difference?
Choosing what you feel responsible for giving.
I choose to believe that somewhere in my writing, somewhere in my beliefs about human behavior and autonomy, I can clear a path for those who struggle with it.
That if I can somehow write to those who seek their own unique power as an individual, then somehow I’m contributing to the health of the human race.
…
But somewhere along the path of finding my chosen power, I lost my ability to live life for the joy of it. It’s the inevitable pendulum swing of life, constantly testing us to see if we’ll keep stubbornly defying gravity by constantly overcorrecting.
here’s a necessary minimum state of awareness it takes to constantly give ourselves to the center, a fulfilling homeostasis of sorts.
…
In eight long years, I’ve learned so much about myself.
Things that I hated to admit, and things I still haven’t overcome the fear of. Things that no one told me…that my closest people should’ve. Things that I’m embarrassed about, but admit and agree with out in the open because I’m tired of trying to portray myself as the perfect specimen.
I’m selfish most of the time. I ask for advice and then stubbornly reject it. I work my ass of and still don’t value myself or see myself worthy of love. I’ve gone from only saying kind and supportive things, to purposely calling out flaws because I think people need to hear it.
I work too hard, keep my head too low, and am boring AF when it comes to having an interesting life.
Which brings me to my point.
…
We have an opportunity for growth every day.
We have the freedom(believe it or not) to choose what living life looks like. Every. Day.
If we can dream of how we would love to live every day — which most of us can’t patiently and rationally do — we’d be far better at doing it in a way that exhausts the best of us rather than suppressing it.
It means:
Spending evenings practicing dance moves instead of watching a TV series…because you’ve secretly always wanted to be able to shuffle.
Being flirty with a person just for the high and to make them feel good about themselves rather than swiping left on 100 people for an hour.
Practicing your uke, or practicing Japanese, or going for a walk in silence, not because it’s your craft but because it brings you back to being human.
Dedicating time to research or revamping your mission statement for the millionth time because it makes you .001% better than yesterday, rather than seeing if you can afford those new shoes this month.
Going to meetups just so you can laugh and see smiles, rather than staying home cause you can’t sacrifice the time that you could be using to write, promote, network, or whatever the f*ck you think is always more important than being human…
We can live our lives exhausting the best of ourselves and build our craft.
Or we can live our lives suppressing all because we’re too tired, need “down time”, need to work, need to stay home, need to save money, need to avoid distraction…blah, blah, blah.
All of the aforementioned is open to interpretation.
But you…
You know the difference between what’s best for you and what’s not.
You know the difference between leaving nothing left of you at the end of the day and leaving all of it for tomorrow.
Every day we get to choose.
We all have a choice in how we suffer.
We all get to choose the work(and play) that we put into the world.
This is just a reminder of that.
To you and to me.
Truth and Love, Reader.
Let’s talk!
I would love it if you left a comment or question. To interact, to hear the voices of my readers, and the wisdom of those beyond my reach.
Thank you for being a part of my tiny world!