Over the years, my life has constantly evolved and changed. They say that change is they only constant, right?
This everlasting change is a process of confronting reality, asking big questions, shedding beliefs, patterns, and values, and adopting new ones to replace them.
Just 5 years ago I was deep into my last year of Student Painters and had just published my book, Undecided. I was anticipating moving on from the company, and I didn’t really have a plan for what to do next. Back then I never could have imagined the things I ended up doing in those 5 years, like touring the country in an RV, working at a startup that deeply aligned with my mission, and creating a profitable video production business.
Every time I made a big change, I had the feeling of being suddenly thrust into a new situation and having to adapt. This was often, almost always, by choice. After realizing I had been pointing in the wrong direction, I would shed what wasn’t working for me, thrust myself into the unknown, and battle it out again with reality, woefully unprepared and not knowing what to expect.
I have that same feeling now, as I’m sure many people around the world do. All of us, in some way or another, have been thrust into a new and unfamiliar situation ever since the chaos of 2020 ensued. This push has been built up, starting with the coronavirus and the lockdowns, and more evidence of senseless police brutality have sparked riots and protests, the manifestation of widespread discontent with much more than racism.
It’s a big moment that has forced us to face the big questions that only surface periodically. Can we live with our society? Does it work for us? What do we need to change? What should we keep the same?
These questions are permeating through our collective unconscious, but more importantly, each of us faces them as an individual. Can I live with my society? Does it work for me? What do I need to change? What should I keep the same?
It’s not every day we are forced into this position and feel urgency and responsibility to act immediately, to face what’s wrong and try to make it better. Usually we can brush off questions like this year after year, only to revisit them “later.” But not now. This is a historic moment. A pivotal moment. An end and a beginning.
Once again I find myself in the unknown, not sure exactly what to do. Not totally prepared for the changes I’ve realized I want to make. I’m just trying to take it all in, to watch and listen carefully, and to learn from what’s going on around me. I’m trying to look at the problems I see, and to think about how I can answer them in my own life. Every storm like this is an opportunity to shed patterns and beliefs that don’t work anymore, and to come out the other end better than before.
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