“I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.” — Michelangelo
What do you feel is keeping you from ultimate success, acceptance, acknowledgement, confirmation, reward, achievement, merit, award, promotion or perhaps healing ? At this particular moment in your life’s journey wherever that may be, there are pivotal choices that may be missed. Unless and until we take an honest, unvarnished look at ourselves regarding where we’ve been, where we are and where we wish to go, it’s beyond challenging to figure out the most constructive thing to do. As in the above quote of Michelangelo, after taking an honest look at ourselves we come to realize those things that may need to be released and set free, which may be hampering our lives. All to often many individuals live in the past, reflecting on what was once but is no more having to do with emotional anxiety, pain and hurt. In addition, to many the past represented a time in life that was happier, more comfortable, surrounded by family or loved ones who are no longer a part of our present life. When we look to what may exist in our life presently as fear, insecurity or lack of self confidence in a job/position, inability to connect with family, associates, friends, or acquaintances stymies our growth and inhibits our ability to stabilize our circumstances. Ernest Holmes had another way of viewing this moment in life . . . “We are chemists in the laboratory of the mind; what shall we produce?”
Becoming “stuck” at different moments in our life’s journey, is something more the norm than the exception for most of us. How do we free ourselves from the pain, fear, hurt, anxiety, ambiguity, insecurity, or lack of confidence as we look from the past, to the present and toward the future? There is no magic bullet that will instantaneously transform who we are. We have created the circumstances in which we find ourselves, whether we wish to admit it or not. For many individuals, that’s perfectly acceptable, for others . . . not so much. Stephen R. Covey stated the following quite succinctly, “There are three constants in life . . . change, choice and principles.” That pretty much sums it up. Within each of us there exists a skill set on how to navigate the different times of our lives. Also, we have the opportunity to keep a log, or journal on the experiences of the journey. When we are conscious of our own existence, sensations, thoughts, surroundings, state of being alert/alive/awake . . . clarity becomes a constant, and the words of Lao Tzu resonate with meaning, “At the center of your being you have the answer; you know who you are and you know what you want.”
To some this may be frightening beyond all comprehension, to others it illuminates the darkness and reflects a constancy of hope. We are all evolving in different ways, for different reasons which enhance, embellish and enrich this experience we call life. Ultimately, we are responsible for the choices we made, for the changes we have experienced implementing the principles of our character. Frances G. Wickes from “The Inner World of Choice,” expressed another way . . . “The art of living is, in its essential meaning, a development and transformation of the power of inward choice. Its products are fashioned in the workshop of the soul.” JLR