Some Assembly Required
Some professions have very specific paths -- with official maps that show you the way and blueprints that show you how to build what you need once you arrive. The certifiable roles -- such as those in the medical profession -- doctors, nurses, medical technicians; or those with a course of study and a big test to pass at the end, like lawyers and nuclear operators...
Of course, there is always going to be some assembly required in establishing yourself in any career and discovering any sense of purpose. But some jobs and life purposes are blessedly parallel -- interlocking, intertwined...
- Complete the detailed checklist
- Step through the dance
- Move through the game
- Arrive at the designated finish line
- Pick up your diploma
Congratulations -- here’s your tiara (with adjustable tabs).
Your name is now adorned with a title on a sash announcing your worth... This kind of neat simplicity -- in communicating who you are, what you do, and why you're important -- is usually the most important prize.
Hack Yourself a Way Spiritual paths and creative identities are often indistinguishable. For many of us, creativity and spirituality are the same ways and means.
The artist does not have the luxury of purchasing a blueprint to success. The spiritual seeker cannot beg, steal, or borrow a map that will show the Only Way. No one can tell you how to become You with a capital Y.
...especially when finding your own way is the Meaning and the Reason Why.
The artist’s way cannot be duplicated. The path of another's map can be shared in great detail, but, ultimately, it can only inspire you to travel your own.
When you become You, when you get There, you will arrive by your own road, a race no one else can run. It can be lonely, because really there aren't even any competitors.
This is why it's such a waste of time to compare yourself to anyone else.
You can absorb Everything from Everybody -- it will always result in a unique synthesis -- You.
Give everyone the same ingredients, elements, environment -- they apply their unique creative divinity -- and the resulting works are as numerous and diverse as the souls who participate.
If you feel lost, it may be because the Path you’re on doesn’t lead to You.
If your destination mimics that of another so well that it appears to be identical... You may be well on your way to becoming someone other than who you intend to be.
image credit h.koppdelaney via Creative Commons on Flickr