Day 293/366 days Towards Self-Mastery.
The simple answer to that question is, I don't care!
Has that always been true? Certainly not.
Comparisons will drive you crazy. There are no end of comparisons to be made. Instagram is a good example of the culture of comparison amongst young women!
For this I am truly sorry.
We are life experiencing itself. Life lives through us. We can enjoy this experience if we understand this one simple truth.
This body that we compare is nothing but a vehicle, inherited from those who have gone before us, and supporting us to live life in the here and now.
We are unique in every way. When we discover that uniqueness we have the opportunity to live into it, through it and with it exactly as we wish, and in spite of what anyone else is doing.
This of course is no mean feat. You have to be prepared to step aside from everything you've been taught, especially in Western cultures and you need to be willing to explore for yourself.
That's the difficult part. It's called acculturation and it has a purpose to socialise you into your family and community. However it comes with a great deal of conditioning. Attitudes, beliefs, expectations that don't always serve you well.
It's up to each and every one of us to do our inner exploring to find our own truth.
Comparisons forced me into lifestyles that were so far removed from my heritage and my understanding of life that I became lost and ill. The first place to look is to your ancestors. You cannot be what they were not without a good deal of inner work. They are the reason you are here. You are them.
Make peace with your place in the world, know and appreciate your ancestors, make peace with your experiences of life so far, and as you stand of the precipice of time, who are you? Who do you want to be? How do you want to live life? Then do that.
366 days Towards Self-Mastery
When I considered my New Year's intentions for 2020 I had just one: To allow my heart to love what it loved...and let it lead me. (If not now, then when?)
I've spent months working on integrating my life. To live life more fully with my home life, my interests, my work, my responsibilities, all coming together, all connected. I want to give each the attention that they desire and need, and still have time and energy for the others. That means living and working from the heart.
As I was clearing out my bookshelf over the Christmas break I discovered Simple Abundance. I set it aside to explore it on New Year's Day as I lazed through another delicious day of nothingness. Sarah, the author, says this book is about living in grace. Living in grace I realised, is about Self-Mastery.
My thirst for understanding the human condition has driven me all my life, and hand-in-hand with self-mastery it has been a life-long goal. And seeing as I love to write, that living in grace is about self-mastery, and I love a bit of a challenge, then if I am truly going to let my heart lead, I really don't have any other choice. So scary as it feels, I'm starting out on a daily mission of leaning into the suggestions of this daybook and making a daily post to keep me accountable. If not now, then when?
I'm Josie. You can find out a little more about me here.
Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy: by Sarah Ban Breathnach.
This book is written for the Australian and NZ market because it refers to seasonal changes. It's available on Amazon here if you'd like to follow along.
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