Several years ago my older brother, in a moment of insane confidence, looked over at me and told me that earlier in the week he had gone 24 hours straight naked. No reason. He just wondered what it would be like to do it.
Of course my initial reaction was one of repulsion. After a few days, and the complete suppression of my gag reflex, it started to dawn on me why he was so proud of himself. The fact of the matter is he did something that flew in the face of what “normal” is. He stepped out from under dream crushing assumptions we all live within and said “Screw It! Today I’m going to go naked!”
I am not suggesting in any way we shed our clothes and live the life Bohemian. What I am suggesting is the act of looking at what we all take for granted as rules and standards because they may not exist. I am suggesting that there are boundaries in your life that are self imposed. There are many things that we do for no other reason than we believe there is a rule somewhere written in stone that says “No!”
Here is the one thought that is worth the price of admission.
You can never define who you are by only defining who you are not.
This is a real problem in America because we live in a nation where are leaders define themselves by the mistakes of those that oppose them. “Vote for me because I am not him!” is the mentality no matter how slick the presentation is. Call it change (change from what the other guy is) or whatever you want, the only way to truly reach any kind of bliss is to define what that bliss IS and simply ignore what it is not.
This is why boundaries can be good and why assumptions can be so bad.
First lets define why boundaries are a good thing.
If an artists is going to do anything he first must choose a medium. It does not matter if it is a canvas, a recording studio, video, or even chalk on the sidewalk. The second you chose a medium you instantly limit yourself to the boundaries of that medium.
A painter can not created a full motion 3D animated movie on a single canvas. Nor can a filmmaker make something that his audience can reach out and touch. There is no escaping it, each medium has things you can and can’t do. When an artist is constantly looking for less boundaries then it is a good indication that they do not understand their craft.
The trick to success is to first understand the boundaries clearly and then make something timeless within those boundaries.So how do you do that? Easy.
Once you understand the TRUE boundaries you then simply challenge the assumptions that have been put on you by others that have stopped short. This is how great artists like Mozart or Picaso became timeless. They worked within the boundaries of their medium better than anyone, but will always be remembered for destroying the assumptions of what could happen within those boundaries.
You see, once you understand the true boundaries then anything goes within. Just like walking around completely butt naked in the privacy of your own home for 24 hours.
Take some time this week to separate the true boundaries of your life from the assumptions of those less talented than you. If you can do this then you have just made your first step to becoming timeless.
Seek Joy
- Erin
www.energyofromance.com
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