Issue #66
The life we live is a work of art, and we must continuously create and recreate it. The choices we make in life determine the person we become, and the person we become is reflected in our lives.
Are you living the life you want to live? Have you become the person you dreamed of becoming? Creating the life you want requires vision, hard work, and persistence. If you think painting a picture or writing a novel is a challenge, creating your life is bigger.
Sometimes, creative leaders become so caught up in their work that they lose sight of themselves and the person they want to become. They lose sight of the people they love. We must learn to take care of ourselves—our physical, mental, and emotional natures. If we let our work devour us, we can become addicted to drugs, alcohol, or sex. We can become paranoid, fearful, and anxious. We must learn to love ourselves and those nearest to us.
One of the most negative, destructive critics that creative leaders confront is themselves. We are often harsher on ourselves than we are on our family, peers, and friends. We compare ourselves to those around us and believe we are not as good. We believe that others don't like us and are looking down their noses at us. We take a simple negative statement that is often uttered and forgotten to heart and walk around crushed for days and weeks.
Don't judge yourself through the eyes of others. Don't let their negative comments penetrate your heart and soul. Protect yourself from the onslaught of their poisonous arrows. No one can know you better than yourself. Their comments are only their perception of who they think you are. They only see a part of you. They don't know you.
Have you ever had a desire to change who you are? Have you ever dreamed of waking up and being somebody different? That is one of the fun things about being a novelist or an actor. Novelists and short story writers can become the characters in their stories. I once wrote a short story, Bath Day, in which I inserted my human self as a minor character seen through the eyes of the main character. Actors take on the character of others. They play heroes and villains. They experience death, love, sorrow, and laughter in the skin of imaginary characters.
Most of us have struggled with our self-identity. We may not like our physical looks or our bill-paying work. We may think that we are poor husbands, wives, or parents. And yet, if we learn to accept who we are and what we have done, we can change into who we want to be.
Have you ever tried to change your habits? Stop smoking? Lose weight? Start exercising? Learn another language? Leave the toilet seat down? Some people say it takes 21 days to form a new habit. Personal change is never easy. We need to learn to be more forgiving of ourselves and those with whom we share our lives. None of us are perfect. And if change is difficult for us, don't you think it is also difficult for those you love? Learn to be gentle with yourself and those you love.
Plant seeds of hope in the hearts of others!
Wise words. Knowing that I am perfect as God created me, as A Course in Miracles states, I can then work on the canvas of my life without judgment--well, most of the time, anyway:)