Monday, September 8, 2014

May I?

Photo from 3.bp.blogspot.com.
I live in a community abounding in creativity, not just in all artistic disciplines, but in other areas as well–business, economy, ecology, education and government, among others. I am in awe many times at the depths and widths of the imagination I encounter in others. I am saddened, however, at the fear that many times accompanies it. It's as though they are waiting for permission to act on this inventiveness. Permission for what?, you may ask. Ah, there's the conundrum.

It's not so much the practical matters that hinder us from creating, but that we seek encouragement, approval and the blessing of others, especially those we look up to and admire, in order to step into our greatness. We look for these also in our colleagues, our peers and even those we compete with. We ask for permission to freely be who we want to be. But what we really seem to be looking for is for is a guarantee that we will not experience the repercussions we imagine we'll have–rejection, humiliation, judgment, interference, obstruction, controversy, wrong impressions and condemnation. We seem to also be looking for an assurance that we will always be approved of and a protection against failure or the results of it.

Receiving the approval of others feels nice, but this can change at any moment. Focusing on receiving this support deflects our point of attention from what we want to achieve, our dreams and our goals to a desire for approval. We focus on what's missing. We divert our energy. We deplete our creative power in the search for acceptance, acknowledgment and approval. This search, this waiting, has led many of us to do what we "should" instead of what moves and excites us, to lead lives of frustration and resentment. 

No one will ask us to step into our greatness, nor will anyone give us self-confidence, enthusiasm and passion to go forth with our inspired contribution to this human experience. It's time we give ourselves permission, allow ourselves to do, explore and go after what we want. It's time we embody our creativity. 

May I? Don't ask. Go. Be. 


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