YOU ARE AN ORIGINAL

I believe that we all come into this world with an original spark that we carry across lifetimes. It is this inner light that guides us when we are lost. One of the core purposes of our lives is to activate and embody our spark of unique personal genius, pursuing its trail without distraction as we grow and evolve. And yes, I believe that we all have the ability to embody original genius.

Extract from Tough Bliss: Restorying Life

 

In our modern age of individuality, you would think that it would be easy for each of us to feel truly special, unique and full of purpose. Yet in my experience, large numbers of our 7 billion strong human community actually view their lives as the opposite to this. At best, many of us live with the constant pressure of assimilation into the dominant social story, whether we agree with it or not. At worst, we gradually lose our sense of self worth and personal purpose, sacrificing our dreams into the ocean of a meaningless and mediocre existence.

 

Sound dramatic?

 

Then why is it that a large percentage of our global population are succumbing to stress related diseases and depression?

 

A colleague once said to me that ‘depression was a healthy response to an inherently unhealthy social story’. I have to say, I agree with him. If I reflect back on the times in my life when I have fallen into depression, dis-ease and despair, they were all periods when I sacrificed my own inner sense of ‘rightness’ and integrity in favour of fitting into an unhealthy organization or social group.

 

In my experience, whenever we forget our unique originality and attempt to mimic someone else’s story, we lose perspective, forget who we are and gradually fall into mediocrity and ill health. If you find you are asking yourself on a regular basis ‘what is my purpose?’ then you have forgotten. Original purpose is not something to be discovered, it is something to be remembered.

 

Of course, the opposite end of the spectrum is just as dangerous as we are currently seeing playing out before us on a global stage. Over emphasis on individual opinion, power and control leads to a lack of diversity, dictatorship and narcissism. When we focus on ‘Me’ to the detriment of ‘We’, we also forget. However this time, it is perspective we lose. Perspective is our ability to continually widen our story lens until we feel our unity with all of life. When this happens we never forget who we are again.

 

But how do we come back into balance and rediscover our originality? Well, we need to reconnect to stories and practices that help us remember who we are. We must discover the personal story-hacks that allow us to balance self and other, personal integrity and empathy, and walk the line between ME and WE.

 

Not easy or for the faint of heart yet so vitally needed in our times of global transformation. The act of reclaiming our originality is one that will change our lives and the lives of everyone we come into connection with. It is the ultimate act of rebellion in a world that wants us all to be the same. It is one of the hardest and easiest things you will ever do.

 

At Beyond Human Stories we specialize in walking with people through this balancing act. If you are ready to reconnect to your spark of originality, why don’t you –

• Go on a field trip back to a place you loved as a young child and ask yourself…who did I come into this life to be?
• Reach out to family and friends who have grown up with you and ask them ‘what made me stand out to you when I was young?’
• Take a moment to cast your memory back to something you loved doing when you were 7 years old …. ‘what did you dream of becoming when you did this?’

 

Or better yet, join us on one of our upcoming reconnection journeys or quests….

 

Of course, you can also choose to fit in.

But why would you?