Easier Said than Done
Posted August 15th, 2011
Way. Part of “Practice Love” is Love towards yourself, which basically boils down to “enjoy yourself! Have fun!” Not a small part, a big part. Mostly, actually. Or even completely. It could be said that “Practice Love” is 100% about Love towards Self, since that’s the only way to truly send Love outwards.
It feels like there are three distinct steps to this process:
- Absorb “energy.” Watch something, hear something, see something, feel something. Take it in.
- Process it. This is the important part. It’s been missing for me lately. Too “busy.” Meditate, free-write in your journal, make a painting. Whatever gives you that empty, transformative mind state.
- Open the valve and let the post-processed “energy” out. This is the easy part. You do enough of 1 and 2, you can’t help but let it out — it’ll be bursting at the seams. But if you stop after step one, it gets lost in the shuffle. Take in too much raw data without integrating it, and it gets too confusing to manage.
I have a profound disagreement on this theory with one of my best friends. I insist that you have to put yourself first. I have to make sure I know what I want, and I have to go get it. I have to enjoy myself. I have to “follow my bliss,” to paraphrase Joseph Campbell. Only when I’m in that state of doing what I Love and Loving what I do, do I feel like I can truly express myself authentically. The neural roads are cleared of the traffic of fear and doubt and Love flows freely. THAT is when people are inspired by my presence. Likewise THOSE are the people that inspire awe in me. And that communication of inspiration is the point. Let’s all inspire each other.
Easier said than done, I know. But what the hell… we only live once. Let’s give it a shot.