Tuesday Truth: Being "Nothing But Yourself"

Image via theappletea.blogspot.com

Yesterday, my dad sent me a link to this article from the Huffington Post by the author Michael Meade. The article is entitled, "To Be Nothing but Yourself" and is a really interesting take on what sort of advice we should be giving young people who are just entering the job market. Meade's take on the current state of affairs in the U.S. includes the e.e. cummings quote that I posted last Tuesday (thus, the reason that my dad sent me the article), and focuses not on finding a job simply to make money, but on finding your "intended self"--that something that we are here to give or to do, that the world itself needs us to give or to do--which is an idea that I am totally on board with. 

I definitely encourage you to read the article, but have also included my favorite passage below: 

To become nobody but yourself, to struggle against the tide of sameness and the false security of simply fitting in -- that is a fight worth having. To become oneself by finding a way to contribute one's god-given talents and natural genius to this troubled world; that is the job to keep applying for. The real work in this life is not simply to succeed and "become somebody"; the real issue is to become one's intended self.

The most revered figures throughout history became memorable because they were uniquely themselves. Each had first to awaken to a vision seeded within them before their life could become instructive to others. Whether they became a spiritual teacher or an artist, a healer or a leader, people remember them because they managed to manifest a unique inner vision that had meaning in the world around them...Real satisfaction comes from doing the work our souls would have us do. Yet, it may be necessary to advise young people that the struggle for self-realization and inner meaning has also become much harder to fight.

What is the work that your soul would have you do? Are you doing it? If not, how can you make more space in your life so that you can take steps towards becoming your "intended self?"

Definitely a question worth pondering...

Namaste,
Mary Catherine