03 Oct Issues or Divine Gifts?
Got issues? What if your “issues” are actually your greatest, most Divine gifts, longing to express themselves into your life?
I’m not always a fan of the personal growth industry. Relentlessly “improving” ourselves and “fixing” ourselves leads, for many, to a disaffirmation of our own Divine perfection. After all, whatever we focus on expands. If we insistently focus on “improvement” we are essentially focusing on all that we are not. It’s a recipe for lack.
Meanwhile, our incredible natural talents, our Divine gifts, are ignored. Not only that – they may even become problems or “issues.” Frequently, our Divine gifts are what makes us different, unique, extraordinary. They are what makes us stand out … and so we actually think there’s something “wrong” with us!
Let’s face it … we spend a lot of time just trying to be “normal.”
I’ll give you an example from my personal experience: I’m not a natural networker. Throw me into a business conference, and in three days I’ll connect with maybe three people, if that. In a world where a lot of value is placed on who you know, my contact list is meager at best.
I used to try to “work on” this “issue” in order to get more out of networking events. I got tired of being asked: “Do you know so-and-so?” and having to answer: “Who?” I used to feel like a networking failure!
And then, about a year ago, I realized something.
I am, by nature, a lover of solitude. I’m also a bit of a black sheep … I mean, my career choices of opera singer and psychic are not exactly “normal.” But being a black sheep is at the CORE of all success I’ve created in my life!
While everyone else was busy networking and talking to each other, I quietly went about building a multi-six-figure business … mainly because no-one was around to tell me that this was supposed to be “hard.” I rarely had the opportunity to compare myself to others or step into the energy of competition. I largely did things my own authentic way because no-one was around to tell me differently. I have my own unique perspective from which I write and teach, and people seem to like that.
And here I was, trying to drum my inner “black sheep” into becoming a better networker! I was trying to join the crowd, even though being an independent thinker and doer is one of my greatest natural gifts.
I was talking to a friend of mine yesterday whose brain works impossibly quickly, in a highly complex way. She is forever trying to slow down her thinking into a more linear pattern, with little success. I’ve watched her tie her mind up like a pretzel, greatly reducing her productivity level as she tries to “fix” this. I asked her to consider that the way her mind works is an incredible gift, rather than an “issue.” Needless to say, she was very excited about the idea that, perhaps, her “handicap” is actually a huge advantage over those of us who think “normally.”
Sometimes we do have very real problems and patterns that hold us back in life.
But often we only have “issues” when we compare ourselves to the perceived normalcy of others. We hold ourselves back when we try to live and create like “everyone else.” What if our “issues” are only “issues” based on an existing standard determined by collective consciousness?
If we were to give up on the idea of “normal” … many of our “issues” may just disappear in an instant! After all, what is “normal,” anyway?
What if we celebrated our quirks, our uniqueness, everything that makes us extraordinary and exceptional? What if we lived INTO what makes us different, instead of trying to normalize ourselves?
Leave your comment on our blog and share your thoughts! What quirk of yours have you been battling?
Blessings,
Andrea