Who are your role models?
Not everyone has sat down to make a list, but I’ll bet you probably could list off the people that you look up to most — maybe an employer who was rocking their job, a brave historical figure, an elegant actor, or an accomplished professional in your field of study. There are people we notice and admire because of all that they do, how they act, and what they think about themselves and the world around them. The traits you admire in that person are traits that you want to have yourself.
A lot of us tell ourselves that we can’t have those experiences or become that successful. But you know what? All of those people you admire have twenty-four hours every day, just like you and me. Every time you tell yourself you can’t do something, you’re pouring hot coffee on yourself.
Our thoughts shape our lives. The truth is, people are capable of doing way more than we let ourselves believe. All the greatest writers and thinkers and doers of ages past had one thing in common: they all read and discussed and thought about great things.
Think about it. Our brains can solve complex mathematic equations, construct a logical argument full of examples, or breathe life into an entire mythical world in your mind. You can listen to a song and envision an entire music video in your head. Our minds allow us to listen to vibrations and detect sound patterns, to build a mental database of fact and memory, to recall sensory details and piece them together into a story that you can recall over dinner with your family and laugh until you can’t breathe.
We all have infinite potential. There is a rich inner world within each of us, just waiting to be recognized and used and grown.
Something that is often missing in most people’s lives is the ability to pay attention. When you begin to notice things, the world comes alive. Behind almost every subject, there is a whole unseen dimension of knowledge. You could spend the rest of your life just learning everything there is to know about the properties of healing herbs and plants and teas. Even in the realm of music alone, there are chords and beats and time patterns and rhythms.
Writers can’t afford to read only that which is in their specific craft — they must also read mystery and memoirs and sonnets and epic poetry and plays and nineteenth century novels. It’s often said that reading great literature is like having conversations with the finest minds of history.
Take a note from them and begin to expand your interests. Listen to a wide range of music, from operetta to jazz to indie and folk. There are podcasts and books available on every subject imaginable! In learning about other subjects, you will better understand your own.
My encouragement to you today is to become a renaissance person. Don’t stop short at any one subject – research anything you’re curious about, whatever strikes your intuition. While you’re waiting for your french press coffee to brew every morning, work on memorizing an inspiring quote or poetry. Recently I was assigned Gerard Manley Hopkins’ God’s Grandeur to memorize for one of my classes. I had no idea how terrifically fun it is to recite things from memory.
Another benefit from this is a little more hidden — do you ever get sick and tired of discussing the weather and answering every “How are you?” with the same old “Oh, I’m fine, how are you?” When you seek to learn new things – the myths behind the constellations in the night sky, the battle strategies used by Napoleon, the paintings of Thomas Cole, the history behind a local theatre performance — you will have interesting things to talk about!
There are a lot of things in our life that distract us from living a focused and intentional life: negative news, scrolling Facebook or checking snapchat, the constant jabber of television in the background, last minute errands. Don’t let these things steal all of your time. Don’t settle for drivel. You’re worth so much more than that.
In the evenings when you get home, turn off the notifications on your phone. Allow yourself to be present. When your attention strays, gently bring yourself back to the present. We will need to give ourselves space to reestablish our identities, to think, to discern. We need quiet so that we can heal our fragmented mind and remember what matters. Even Jesus sought out quiet places so that he could be alone with God.
Imagine that your mind is a garden. Every day, seeds are being planted: ideas, emotions, thoughts, curiosities, beliefs. You are in charge of which thoughts you choose to tend and grow. You are in charge of fertilizing your mind with ideas — the visuals that you take in through social media, books, movies, and conversations. There will be weeds that will need pulling out: gossip, negativity, body shaming, unfair criticism of other people, embarrassment, self-depreciating thoughts. Letting your mind run rampant with weeds and briars will only damage your life, in the end.
Being a good steward of your life means realizing your vision of how you want your garden to look. You need to know what aesthetic you want your life to look like. Will it be wild and beautiful like English gardens? Logical and manicured like French gardens? Intuitive and serene like Japanese? Choose your vision and work on creating it. Once you start learning, it becomes easy – and fun – to learn more.
We all have a choice of how to tend our gardens. Make yours beautiful.
<3 Olivia Grace
