The world would be robbed of her song. Her narrow range of when she’s willing to offer her gift would be a devastating loss to those she could uplift.
Imagine a man who serves everyone around him deeply, so powerfully that they are all filled with their own sense of purpose. But he only does this when he’s in the right mood, when he’s not distracted by online articles, when he’s not tired or lonely, when he’s not criticized by those around him, and when his house and office are perfectly clean.
Those he fills with a sense of their own purpose would be less filled. Those he would give his love to would be deprived because he has such a narrow range of when he’s willing to push himself to offer his gift to others.
This is our failing, and it’s our opportunity for growth.
When we’re “not feeling it,” and procrastinate or don’t focus on our purpose, it’s time to notice how we feel. If we can step outside our experience just enough to see ourselves at that moment, it can lead to a breakthrough. We can expand ourselves.
- Opening up your heart in the middle of pain or stress and allowing yourself to fully feel. Don’t shrink away, but find the courage to be incredibly present with whatever you’re feeling.
- Feeling love for your experience, for whatever is causing you stress or pain, and not rejecting it. Seeing it as your teacher, your training ground.
- Reminding yourself of the gift you need to offer the world. Reminding yourself of your purpose—bringing your open heart to that work.
- Pushing yourself into the discomfort of focusing on that purpose, even if you’re feeling sad or hurt or frustrated or distracted. Pushing yourself into the discomfort of saying no to all the distractions and busywork, and just doing what you need to do to offer your gift.
Expand your range by not allowing yourself to shrink. It’s like putting yourself in arctic conditions, in desert conditions, and practicing your art despite the unhappiness.
In fact, you can use the unhappiness and chaos to offer your gift. You take that stress and pain, and you turn it into love. That brilliance is a part of your gift.
Practices to Expand Yourself
Once a day (to start with), create a space for practicing. Set yourself some purpose-filled work to do. Then try these practices:- Notice what you’re feeling. Are you tired, stressed, frustrated, angry, sad, lonely, distracted, hurt, anxious? Then fully feel it. Forget about everything else in the world and just be fully present with whatever you’re feeling. Not the narrative in your head about what you’re feeling, but the actual physical feeling in your chest, stomach, head.
- Open your heart to that feeling. Love it. Don’t reject it or wish it would go away or try to get rid of it. Just love it. And love what caused it—the work stressing you out, the person who criticized you, the unhappy situation in your life. Love it as if it were the most beautiful thing on Earth. Which it is.
- Open your heart in the middle of this discomfort, and then take the first step in doing your work. Do the first small action, the tiniest movement, in the middle of these arctic conditions. See it as training for your heart. Courage training. Hold your heart open as you do it, keeping in mind who you’re serving.
- Love even fiercer as you do the next small step. Don’t let your people down. Imagine that you would die for them, do anything to serve them, and that you hold them powerfully in your heart.
