Day 149/366 days Towards Self-Mastery.
Do our possessions truly define us?
You'd be forgiven for thinking so, and it would be a difficult task to prove otherwise for some who don't feel complete without their swish digitals, and designer get ups.
I have to admit to being a tinsy bit in that camp myself. So used to my Apple suite am I that I'll save for months just to get what I need!
What our possessions do is reflect something about our choices in life driven by our inner dialogue and manifest in reality before our eyes.
You could say the same about what we love, if we have the courage to bring that love to light in our surroundings by committing to surrounding ourselves with what we most authentically admire, need and love.
Your possessions don't define you. They reflect you.
Whatever those choices are, they are saying something about you.
My Apple suite is getting very aged right now, but I love it. It's trouble free, it's beautiful to look at, lovely to work with, its design perfection. All things that reflect my taste, a mix of the practical and beautiful.
The same can be said of my pots and pan, my furniture, my clothes... almost, certainly my shoes.
But what's really interesting and something that I have come to understand only recently, who we are is in constant flux. Who we are, the one we call self, is in the process of being, of becoming at all times. And how that being manifests is dependent on the situation we find ourselves in. In no two situations are you the same, because no two situation are precisely the same.
Who you are responds to the situation you are experiencing. Yes you draw on your passed experiences, your interpretations of those experiences and the beliefs and values that you've adopted. However the arsenal that you call forth to support you is that which is most suited to the situation at the time.
If you are seeking to know who you are, observe yourself in many different situations and know yourself through your responses and reactions. Life, it's wonderful when you finally figure it out.
The effort to define ourselves is in vain. We are who we are in the moment. That's it. That's all.
And we get to surround ourselves with things we love for now. Then that will change and we get to do a do-over.
And life is fun and simple and fluid.
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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