Greeting Dear Ones…
Yesterday I spoke about something in my most recent podcast (You can listen to the podcasts by clicking on the widget in the right-hand column), I wanted to share with you what I have come to realize and plan to implement with the creation of my long-held dream, The Outsider Institute. I told you yesterday that I woke up afraid, wondering how in the world I could manage it. The litany of reasons why it’s not possible when I am in that frightened place loom large, but the reason they come up at all is because The Big Dream feels like a gigantic amorphous blob hanging over my head. Too big, too unmanageable, impossible to get done by _________, and so on. A few days ago I had a visual image that made me heave sigh of relief and sink back into my chair with a smile on my face. I knew I could do it.
In my mind I imagined a child playing with a set of building blocks. In my mind the building blocks were the little pieces that add up to the big dream. I realized that if I broke the creation and manifesting of The Outsider Institute down into tiny child building block size pieces I could play with them, move them around, knock them over, building them back up again, and not only discover all the parts and pieces my dream could be broken down into but I could play with them until I understood the best way to put them together in a way that makes sense for me. 100 different people will build a different structure toward a dream, but I get to choose the way I want to stack my blocks to build my castle in the air and bring it into a real life, on the ground, up and running enterprise. It made me very excited. Also, my concept of what a building block size task is will likely be very different than what someone else will consider comfortable and doable for them, but what matters is that we each work with the bits that need doing in our own way and time. In the end we will all build what we are dreaming of. And remember, you can knock those blocks down and start over, rearranging the tasks still ahead in a more doable order. That is the beauty of those building blocks, they are small, easily moved, and fun. It’s got to be fun, it can’t feel like a miserable job. Children’s play is children’s work and how we lost that concept along the way I will never understand but it sure leads to far too many adults who end up in jobs that they dislike, that make them unhappy, that lead to untold stress that will do heartbreaking damage to their lives.
Too, I love the idea that we can each use this basic building block concept but it doesn’t lead to some cookie cutter paradigm that I see all too much of these days that has created a number of businesses that for all intents and purposes look exactly alike save a different name and some rearranging of the window dressing. Be an original. We can each sit with the same set of blocks and we will build something vastly different. Our own experience and worldview will create marvelous, magical structures that come directly out of the heart and soul of who we are.
Another thing that has delighted me down to my toes recently is the work of Kat O’Sullivan. You can go to her website, katwise.com and see her magical colorful life and the unbelievable life she lives and work she does. I don’t want to say too much and spoil it for you because it is like going down the rabbit hole with Alice and finding Oz with Dorothy and more all in one. I have fallen in love with her. On her blog (all of her work is linked on her website ~ the blog, her etsy shop, and more…) she wrote something that stopped me in my tracks and has been resonating deep inside me, reverberating around humming from my head to my toes and back up again. She said, “I have learned in this journey of being myself for a living that you just have to power through.” Being myself for a living. It was as if those words were blinking in neon lights. Isn’t that what we all should be doing? And how few people really do? Again, children are absolutely authentic. When and why do we lose that? And we shouldn’t! And we have to get that back! At least I plan to. And I truly hope you will listen to yesterday’s podcast, especially if you are thinking, “Yea, right, like that’g going to happen. I’m ____ years old and it’s too late to start over.” Listen to the story of my dear friend Joseph who has lived under the spectre of death for over 30 years and at 52 he is thinking about going back to school to get a Master’s Degree. A year ago he was fighting a frightening battle with cancer. It’s never too late to be what you might have been. Grandma Moses didn’t start painting until she was 70 and painted until she was over 100! It-is-never-too-late!
I am seriously thinking about getting a set of blocks. I want a used set, something that is embued with the spirit of a child, that pure, joyful energy that says “Anything is possible, everything is possible, there are no limits, JUST WATCH ME!” Yes, I’m going to get on eBay tonight and buy some blocks. Will you join me?
I’d love to hear your thoughts on this. I’d love for you to share your stories of rediscovering the child inside and embracing the spirit of play and dedicating your life to being yourself for a living. Why not? If not, why not? If not now, when?
I’ll be back tomorrow with my “Tea With Maitri” segment. Until then, I’m on the hunt for a set of building blocks!
With love and joy from a playful heart that I had totally forgotten ever existed…
P.S. I would love to give you the free eBook that I wrote, Embracing Fitting Out When You Never Really Fit In. Just sign up for my mailing list, you will see the sign-up form at the top of the right-hand column, and you will get a link to download the eBook. I would love to have you as part of my tribe!
