Matthew Fox once wrote, “The forces of fear and pessimism so prevalent in society and religion need to be countered by an increased awareness of awe and good.”
I second this notion.
And so does the New York Times. Click here to find the proof in their pudding.
#MoreArt
#MoreStillness
#MoreLoveLessFear
#MorePossibilityLessPessimism
#MoreGoosebumps
There’s an enormous difference in the engagement, experience, and fulfillment that occurs when we rent something and when we own something.
Think about the cars you’ve rented in the past. Style, design, and color isn’t near as important as price. And while we’re on the topic, you probably chose ‘cheap’.
Now think about the car you own. Or better yet, think about the car you you’ve wanted and dreamed of owning. I would bet that you know the color, the specs, the feel…and somehow, you even have and idea of the smell.
The same can surely be said for our homes and other rentable products and services but what about our lives?
Here’s the catch of the day: Ownership leads to reverence. You interact with everything differently when your time and energy was involved in making it a reality. And isn’t reverence what we’re all looking to get out our moments, minutes, hours, days, and lives? Don’t we want to respect, interact with, admire, and find awe in the electric flow that happens when we do our part in creating something worth remarking on and worth being shared?
We want to know that our presence was a part of something new, fresh, mysterious, and original. We want to taste and see the beautiful. We want to be still and know the Divine. We want to stop and smell the roses. But how many of us OWN these longings and make the investment for them to become realities? The research shows very few.
Own your life and take ownership of what leads to the wonder and beauty of your days. Don’t rent it to cable tv, the media, and pessimism. They’re terrible landlords and their only concern is you paying them with holiest of all currencies…your time.
Soon you’ll see tulips starting to bloom.
There’s a 100% chance that someone planted the bulb and there’s 100% chance that SomeOne made music in the dirt and choreographed the bloom.
There’s your good news: Co-creation isn’t the name of the game…It’s the name, reality, and beauty of life.
We can become more present.
We can practice more patience.
We can listen without an agenda.
We can love deeper and wider.
We can put more creativity into the world.
We can be transformed.
We can accept responsibility.
We can do this.
We can do better.
…you’ve chosen to not be original.
This choice will numb the moment, but will also bring an aching regret down the road.
Ideas that move us to joy and tears and lives that lead us to change for the better are always original.
So for you, and for us, please bring us something new, sing us something fresh, and give us what only you can give.
There’s a first for everything and when it comes to you there will never be a second.
Ashton.Gustafson 