Be the One

You make a million choices every day, some not even in your conscious awareness. Making decisions takes a lot of bandwidth and in order to get through a day it is necessary to put many of the decisions on automatic pilot. Just imagine if you had to think about walking, talking and breathing. This is the human condition, and it works to your advantage. I propose for a few minutes you become aware of those automatic choices. Slow down and be in the moment.

Why? So you can see yourself in the bigger plan. I make a choice to begin my day in silent meditation for 10 minutes. My husband’s routine is to tune into the news. There are some days when I don’t want to know what is going on. We all have our routines that help us get through the million daily choices. He wants to stay informed about the world around him and sometimes I just want to create an alternative reality.

The creative process is filled with a vast sea of choices and decisions. You may want to paint a large vibrant orange and blue painting but then that little voice in your head says no, those are very expensive paint colors, and you will just waste them. This internal critic is always lurking about, especially when you scroll social media. Do you feel it rear its giant head and get more energized as you scroll past other people’s successes and then you turn to your own work and compare what you are doing. Does it feel like you are not as successful or talented? The pit of comparison can drag you in quickly and hold you in the dark cave of envy. Do you need to quit social media in order to escape? It may be good to take a break, but the critic will find you anywhere. There are some alternative choices for dealing with the critic.

When you compare yourself to others it is like comparing an oak tree to a small rose bush. A beautiful rose bush was planted next to a big oak tree. The rose bush always felt small and less important because it wanted to be tall and strong like the mighty oak. One day the oak tree noticed the rose bush wilting and asked it what was wrong, and it said it was depressed because it wasn’t tall and strong and didn’t look like the oak. The oak said, how can you compare your beautiful and fragrant flowers to my wide trunk and strong leaves? You are a rose bush, you can’t compare. Be the most beautiful rose bush. Be the one that shows your true nature.

There is darkness and sadness in the world. One of the choices you can make is to be the one that shines the light on love and beauty. This doesn’t mean you turn your eyes away from the pain. You become the one to show others a way out of the dark cave. Even if you are feeling small and unnoticed, hold up a small flame so you can be aware of the details around you. As you see more, your light will become brighter, and you will light the way for others. If you think a tiny match can’t compare to a roaring fire, know that the small match of light will be seen by the one who is in complete darkness. You can make the choice to be the one to light the way for others. Let your critic take a break, let go of comparisons and glow in your own light. Be the one.