Be your brilliant, confused, juicy self
I originally published this reflection last July, in the midst of a time where I was questioning a lot of things about life, the world, my work, and myself in general. #ThanksPandemic. I clearly saw the potential for self-improvement to become a means of self-flagellation because I was teetering on that precipice regularly.
These words reminded me then, as they do now, that we can’t be our whole, full, juicy selves without the light and the dark, good and bad, brilliance and confusion. Our job is simply to “become more awake to who we are and what we’re doing”. Awareness can be a bitch sometimes, but it’s the path to being our best selves.
“Our wisdom is all mixed up with what we call our neurosis. Our brilliance, our juiciness, our spiciness, is all mixed up with our craziness and our confusion, and therefore it doesn’t do any good to try to get rid of our so-called negative aspects, because in that process we also get rid of our basic wonderfulness. We can lead our life so as to become more awake to who we are and what we’re doing rather than trying to improve or change or get rid of who we are or what we’re doing.”
Pema Chodron, The Wisdom of No Escape
Personal development can be a slippery slope. The drive to improve and push ourselves to become better and more is natural and leads people to do amazing things. But how often are we approaching our development as necessary to fix what we think is broken within us, as opposed to a means for achieving the greatness that we are meant for?
When we try to fix ourselves and remove these negative aspects, it often leads to an overall diminishing of our wholeness. You can’t untangle all of the pieces that make up who you are and to start cutting away at what feels negative will ultimately lead to the loss of some of the best aspects of our true selves—our juiciness and spiciness.
We are the complex, layered, brilliant, neurotic people that we are because of the multitudes within us. Don’t let development and growth lead you down a path of self-contempt because you think there are parts of you that need to be corrected.
Strive for greatness because it is already in you. It is your birthright to make an impact as the complex, layered, brilliant, neurotic person you are. Build on your strengths and the wisdom you have earned living your life just as you are.
Add your Echo:
What aspects of yourself are you learning to be aware of and accept instead of trying to develop them away?
(Reply or tap the heart to share your thoughts)