© Darice Pauselius
“#Trust30 (Self-Reliance) is an online initiative and 30-day writing challenge that encourages you to look within and trust yourself.” Today’s Challenge: You Know
Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind. Absolve you to yourself, and you shall have the suffrage of the world. – Ralph Waldo Emerson
We live in a society of advice columns, experts and make-over shows. Without even knowing it, you can begin to believe someone knows better than you how to live your life. Someone might know a particular something better – like how to bake a three-layer molten coconut chocolate cake or how to build a website – but nobody else on the planet knows how to live your life better than you. (Although one or two people may think they do.) For today, trying asking yourself often, especially before you make a choice, “What do I know about this?”
All I can say about this one is: Agreed.
© Darice Pauselius
“#Trust30 (Self-Reliance) is an online initiative and 30-day writing challenge that encourages you to look within and trust yourself.” Today’s Challenge: Facing (and Fearing)
What I must do is all that concerns me, not what the people think. This rule, equally arduous in actual and in intellectual life, may serve for the whole distinction between greatness and meanness. It is the harder, because you will always find those who think they know what is your duty better than you know I. – Ralph Waldo Emerson
I once received a fortune cookie that read: “Speak less of your plans, you’ll get more done.” What’s one project that you’ve been sitting on and thinking about but haven’t made progress on? What’s stopping you? What would happen if you actually went for it and did it?
I’m sharing this one, but not writing or responding specifically…I’m beginning to feel like all of these prompts are basically saying: “Get off your butt and go do it!” The ‘it’ is different for all of us…I am and have been working on my ‘it’ and find all of this motivational stuff to be more than annoying. Pardon the honesty – I’m sure for many people these daily reminders are extremely helpful and encourage constant forward movement…I just don’t feel them right now.
I’m taking advice from the fortune cookie above: “Speak less of your plans, you’ll get more done.”
© Darice Pauselius
“#Trust30 (Self-Reliance) is an online initiative and 30-day writing challenge that encourages you to look within and trust yourself.” Today’s Challenge: Facing (and Fearing)
Greatness appeals to the future. If I can be firm enough to-day to do right, and scorn eyes, I must have done so much right before as to defend me now. Be it how it will, do right now. Always scorn appearances, and you always may. – Ralph Waldo Emerson
Trusting intuition and making decisions based on it is the most important activity of the creative artist and entrepreneur. If you are facing (and fearing) a difficult life decision, ask yourself these three questions:
1) “What are the costs of inaction?” I find it can be helpful to fight fear with fear. Fears of acting are easily and immediately articulated by our “lizard brains” (thanks Seth) e.g. what if I fail? what if I look stupid? If you systematically and clearly list the main costs of inaction, they will generally overshadow your immediate fears.
2) “What kind of person do I want to be?” I’ve found this question to be extremely useful. I admire people who act bravely and decisively. I know the only way to join their ranks is to face decisions that scare me. By seeing my actions as a path to becoming something I admire, I am more likely to act and make the tough calls.
3) “In the event of failure, could I generate an alternative positive outcome?” Imagine yourself failing to an extreme. What could you learn or do in that situation to make it a positive experience? We are generally so committed to the results we seek at the outset of a task or project that we forget about all the incredible value and experience that comes from engaging the world proactively, learning, and improving our circumstances as we go along.
Thanks to Tara Gentile‘s Art of Action Course, I am way ahead of you on this one! ;-)
© Darice Pauselius
“#Trust30 (Self-Reliance) is an online initiative and 30-day writing challenge that encourages you to look within and trust yourself.” Today’s Challenge: Dreams
Abide in the simple and noble regions of thy life, obey thy heart. – Ralph Waldo Emerson
Write down your top three dreams. Now write down what’s holding you back from them.
1.) To find, create, and promote love and compassion.
2.) To explore and enjoy the human experience.
3.) To use my gifts and encourage others to do the same.
All of my dreams are processes. They don’t have a true end. They are all works in progress – much like myself. In the past I have had dreams that could be written down and checked off of a list, but I found little pleasure in accomplishing them. Their completion was only hindered by money and time – something most people can attain if they want it – which cheapened the experience for me. If my dreams can be bought and sold, what does that say about me? *
* This all sounds very woo-woo…it isn’t meant to. I’m speaking with my internal voice and she is far more eloquent than I am.
© Darice Pauselius
“#Trust30 (Self-Reliance) is an online initiative and 30-day writing challenge that encourages you to look within and trust yourself.” Today’s Challenge: Wholly Strange and New
When good is near you, when you have life in yourself, it is not by any known or accustomed way; you shall not discern the foot-prints of any other; you shall not see the face of man; you shall not hear any name; the way, the thought, the good, shall be wholly strange and new. – Ralph Waldo Emerson
Can you remember a moment in your life when you had life in yourself and it was wholly strange and new? Can you remember the moment when you stopped walking a path of someone else, and started cutting your own?
Write about that moment. And if you haven’t experienced it yet, let the miracle play out in your mind’s eye and write about that moment in your future.
I’ve gotta think on this one…
