I've grown certain that the root of all fear is that we've been forced to deny who we are.
Francess Moore Lappe
Living life on your own terms is a scary thought for most people. We grow up being taught the rules and consistently being told that if we follow them, we will have a great life.
Most of us are not even aware how much we do this. We imagine in our minds that we are living differently, but if we take a closer look we will find signs that this is not the case.
We all watch the same TV shows, follow the same fashion trends, and hold up the same expectations. This include the idea of what "success" is and how to get out. Let's take how we view education as an example.
I love education and believe that it is plays a very important role in changing your life.
But education has nothing to do with school.
ˌed·u·ca·tion
/ejəˈkāSH(ə)n/
noun
the process of receiving or giving systematic instruction, especially at a school or university.
an enlightening experience.
Most of us get the first part of this definition. So we buy into the dream of "if I get the right education at school, I can make progress in my life."
I am all about a great education and attending school. But I am NOT a fan of creating the illusion that education is the "end all, be all." I know far too many educated people who are unemployed ( you may be one of them). I would also like to point out that many of the "educated" go to jobs that they hate and live frustrating and stressful lives. I hope that is enough evidence to convince you that the first definition of education is NOT the whole story. There is your proof.
Here is the paradox: education is important but it is not important alone. If you never get to the "enlightening experience," your education is worthless.
If you examine the lives of any great achiever in society, you will find that they valued enlightenment more than they valued "education" in the strict sense of the first definition.
When I was a very small girl, I loved making mud pies (probably a foreign concept to the digital age and germophobic culture in which we live). I would take a container of water to our backyard, find a nice bare spot where the dirt was exposed, and set to work "creating" my masterpieces.
One day, my Mother decided to help me out. She bought me some cheap cookie cutters. She showed me how to use them and sent me off to play.
The purpose of a cookie cutter is to mold the dough into a specific shape CONSISTENTLY so that you end up with cookies that look "the same" in size, shape, and design.
After a few minutes of trying to get my mud to the right consistency to yield to the cookie cutters, I soon became frustrated. Before my Mother helped me out, my mud creations were a work of art. My mud play allowed me to unleash the creative side of my brain as I squished, shaped, formed, and morphed my designs into Unique works of art.
My cookie cutter molds were not helping me at all. I would squish my mud through them and everything would turn out looking the SAME. I was confused.
I believe this must of been my first experience with "different" versus "the same."
Our educational system is designed to turn out "the same" by using STANDARDS. But if we don't add our DIFFERENCE to the equation, we will begin looking like "everybody else."
So who do you say you are?
Dr. Cindy Trimm
My point is not to criticize the educational system. My illustration is meant to demonstrate how STANDARDS are imposed on us to cause us to "fit" a certain mold.
You can apply this same example to the way you dress, where you choose to live, what career path you select, what kind of care you drive, etc.
You take cues from the society around you that sets the STANDARD and then spend the rest of your life chasing those STANDARDS.
But it does not have to be that way. You can give up your COOKIE CUTTER life to live life on your own terms. You can decide to do things differently.
No, I am not telling you to quit school. I am telling you that you need to pursue the second part: ENLIGHTENMENT. Enlightenment is the pathway to understanding WHO you are at your core being. Only when you understand this can you live an authentic life that is DIFFERENT and not the SAME.
Today, I want to encourage you to examine your life and what you believe about the STANDARDS that society has created for you. What areas of your life are you "giving up" because you believe a rule or standard that someone else designed for you?
How can you start TODAY breaking free from your COOKIE CUTTER thinking?
What are you doing to set yourself up on the pathway towards ENLIGHTENMENT?
Enlightenment is the pathway to Loving Your Unique.
And Loving Your Unique is a journey that helps you honor who you were created to be.
Break free from the stereotypes and live your best life ever. Give up your cookie cutter molds.
I am cheering for you!
P.S. I am on day 21 of my journey the 40 Day Soul Fast based on the book by Dr. Cindy Trimm. You owe it to yourself to get a copy of this book and learn what it means to live an authentic life. Click the image below to purchase it from Amazon.