p. 102: Mistakes can be like ice. If we resist them, we may keep on slipping into a posture of defeat. If we include mistakes in our definition of performance, we are likely to glide through them and appreciate the beauty of the longer run.
What a powerful statement! And what a thing to hold over someone’s head. They make too many mistakes? I have done this; I have been angered by the constant mistakes made by my child or one of my students or my husband or even myself. Every time I encounter a mistake, I freak, overreacting. What a waste of energy and precious time.
What would happen if I learned to embrace the mistakes as a part of everyday life? Would I continue to scream, frustrated by everything? Would I continue to tense and seemingly explode?
Accepting that mistakes are an intricately woven part of life, and that those mistakes are what can take myself and those I love to the next level is a very challenging concept. It goes against the core of my nature. I am wired to go haywire. I have to redirect my energy and my focus and it is not something I can do overnight. It’s acknowledging it in the moment and slowly learning to remember “Rule Six”.
p. 114: Giving way to passion has two steps:
1.) The first step is to when you are holding back, and let go. Release those barriers of self that keep you separate and in control, and let the vital energy of passion surge through you, connecting you to all beyond.
2.) The second step is to participate wholly. Allow yourself to be channel to shape the stream of passion into a new expression for the world.
I find it easy to give way to my passions; it is what comes after giving way to my passions that I struggle with on a daily as basis. After I have gotten a little bit out of my new passion, I am then bored with it. But I wonder, am I really giving way to my passions or just my newest hobby or desire? Passions control you; passions define you; passions radiate from you. Even if it might not be my true passion, I find it hard for me to not let go of controls and connect. I think I often let my inhibitions get in the way of my passions. I become guarded of what people will think of me. I don’t want to let people in and let them get to know me. Because of that, I participate but act standoffish before really giving myself the total experience. For example, last summer I was in a show at a local community theatre. I was only in the chorus; even so I was having a lot of fun. However, I was always aware of my lack of dance ability. Never mind that I was not put in the show for my amazing dance moves but for my voice. I never let my guard down and just danced the show for the fun of it. I was always counting steps and trying to remember what came next. I am passionate about singing but never really got the whole experience because of my fears. I also never let myself get close to the cast. I was older than a lot of them, with a kid only a few years younger than the lead. I just didn’t want to let my guard down, say the wrong thing or look silly.
No comments:
Post a Comment