Doesn’t really seem like something I could know about you, but stick with me on this one.
“Who we are” can be one of the most formless concepts there is.
“I’m….
a bus driver,
a parent,
an amateur wrestler,
a bird watching enthusiast,
a kid at heart.”
These are all entirely valid responses. But, what if there really was only one true answer?
Love.
Chances are, hopefully, that you’re here because you maybe kinda think that, too. You may not be fully buying it right now, but you’re thinking about it and that’s wonderful.
Common responses I get whenever I’m fortunate enough to speak about the idea of “being Love” are, “oh, that’s not me,” and “I’m not that person” or “I can’t do that.” As soon as I hear this, my inner voice just shouts, “IT’S NOT TRUE! DON’T THINK THAT!”
So, why is it our default to think that way? Why do we think we don’t have the ability to be Love?
“If you think you can do a thing or think you can’t do a thing, you’re right.” – Henry Ford
It’s a pretty simple concept. However, simple doesn’t always, if really ever, equate to easy. If we think we can’t be Love, then we can’t. But, if we think that’s why we’re here, that’s who we are meant to be, then we will be. Simple. Not easy.
On January 24, 2013 I made a very rare (at the time) facebook status update which read the following:
“Positive thinking is contagious. Take a minute to write something positive about yourself. ‘I make people laugh’ or ‘I have a great winter mitten collection’. Chances are, those who know you will agree. At the very least, say it to yourself. That’s how change happens.”
These were two responses I received:
“Is this our Jimmy?”
“Someone for sure hacked his account.”
I can’t even begin to tell you how grateful I am for these comments. Were these people off base about me? Not a chance. Those comments are very much in line with who they thought I was, back then. And, why did those people think that of me? They only thought of me what I thought of myself.
As much as those two people were surprised to read that positive post by me; the people that I’ve newly met within the last two years would be just as surprised to know me as anything but those words I shared on facebook that particular day. So, what’s changed?
THINK.
I don’t mean for you to “think”. What I mean is that, what’s changed, is the way I think. It’s not that I’ve changed who I am, it’s just that I’ve changed who I think I am. I know that my job here is to be Love in every opportunity and relationship that presents itself in my life. I know that it’s something that’s inside each and every one of us. It doesn’t require us to change who we are, but to just change how we think about who we are.
You don’t need to fully embrace the idea that you’re here to be Love as soon as you’re finished reading this. A lot of the time, I’m not Love at all. But, I’m giving myself a chance and know that it will be a lifelong journey. It’s something that will get easier and easier, but it’s also something that requires work.
No one’s asking you to shout it from the mountaintops (although, that would be great). Let’s just start by knowing that we can be Love instead of thinking, “I’m not that person” and “I can’t do that”.
You ARE that person and you CAN do it.
be Love.
