Reinvention

I’ve been reading Steve Chandler’s book, “Reinventing Yourself.”

My first inclination was to defend my absence from writing by saying I’ve been off in the corner reinventing myself, but I don’t think that’s true. While there has been a personal (writing) recess/restoration in play for sure – I think it’s been more evolutionary than reinvention. I’m not knocking the book – I rather enjoy Steve’s perspective, and highly recommend it, actually. For me though, it’s been more about moving to a new level of living my life. Maybe that’s reinventing – or maybe the idea of reinvention just added clarity to the process. Regardless …

There seems to be so much consumable ink out there these days, I felt it important to be certain, at least in my on spirit, that any written effort I put forth into the ethers had a destination in mind – even if it was just for my own growth. Voltair once said, “Writing is the painting of the voice.” And so here I go, at least for today, painting with these words what my soul seems to want to say.

As a coach, I encourage people to write; Diary, Blog, Journal, let it out. Make sure it matters to you, and let it out. Don’t write to prove or defend a point. That is a dangerous trap. And don’t write to impress someone either. Write to encourage your own soul to expand and evolve. I am firmly convinced that our personal mission here on earth, each and everyone of us, is to mature into the individual that we’ve been created to be. And one of the tremendous exercises we have to encourage that is writing. It’s an extraction process. It cleanses and refreshes the soul. And for some, yes, it’s even a reinvention. And that’s okay too. Otherwise the rust just takes over and stalls the whole process.

Greg Tutwiler, CCLC http://www.FreedomLiving.org

Mining Your Soul

What comes to mind when you hear the term soul searching?

I found this definition intriguing; “The act of facing one’s inmost self with courage, determined to bring every ulterior thought, emotion, and motive to light.” (wiki.answers.com)

Have you done any soul searching lately? Why does it matter, you might ask? “Not evaluating those thoughts that we purposely deceive ourselves to believe, corrupts our soul … the greatest evil in the world is self-deception, because self-deception preys on the troubled soul.”

Thomas Merton wrote, “Your life is shaped by the ends you live for. You are made in the image of what you desire.” Do you know what those ends are? What do you desire? Most days we run on autopilot not stopping to give one thought to the whys and wherefores. Hopefully by now you understand that the control center of your life originates within your thoughts and ideas, resulting in the day in and day out choices you make. When’s the last time you spent some time alone with yourself – mining your soul – connecting to the Spirit within, and seeking His divine guidance for your life? Every choice produces a consequence. Are you living from a solid foundation – choosing from a place of confidence – or mostly shooting from the hip? William Bernard Ullathorne wrote, “A soul that is patient waits with calm endurance for light before acting … where the mind waits patiently for light, sooner or later it is sure to come. (However) If you go blindly into action you will be sure to repent it.”

Patience is a virtue many of us struggle to demonstrate. But time and time again philosophy and religion reminds us that patience, calm, and endurance are the keys to a grounded and productive life. Those attributes come from the deep regions of your soul. Go find them.