Today's
Meditation:
I've
known many people who have pursued things in life that
seemed so far away from who they were as people that it
was almost sad. I've seen people who have wonderful
teaching skills trying hard to become lawyers simply
because they determined when they were ten years old that
they were going to be lawyers. Others try to become
doctors because they want to make a lot of money.
Some try to become teachers even though they don't really
like kids, and I wondered what I would do if a child of
mine got into their classroom.
It's
a great challenge to uncover our authentic selves and to
pursue goals that reflect that authenticity. But
it's one of the most important things that we can do in
life if we want to become the people we were born to
be. It's easy to pursue things we think would be
cool and profitable, but it's not nearly as easy to pursue
those things that reflect who we are in an authentic
sense.
I've
spent a lot of time trying to become some things that I
simply wasn't meant to be. I love music, and I spent
a lot of time trying to learn the piano and guitar--
unfortunately, though, I don't have a whole lot of
coordination between my two hands, and it's very difficult
for me to continue one line of music with my left hand,
and another with my right on the keyboard. While I
don't really regret the time I spent practicing the
instruments I wasn't meant to master, I sometimes wonder
what I could have done for myself had I spent that time on
other pursuits.
We
all have our strengths and our weaknesses, and it's a
shame when we spend valuable time and energy on pursuits
that cater to our weaknesses and that seem destined to add
to our frustration. When we're able to focus on our
strengths, we accomplish more and enjoy ourselves more
doing it, and we grow more and more in directions in which
we were meant to grow. And who can argue with that
as a life strategy?
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