Need to get in touch? I'm just a message away.

The Drive to Thrive

  • Elliott
  • March 6, 2012
  • 3

Writing is such an interesting endeavor for me. I love to write and at the same time I hate to write. I love the process of searching for the right way to say something which is apparent to me but is not necessarily easy to articulate. It is kind of like solving a puzzle each time I sit down and glare at the blank white page in front of me. When the words flow from inside me, I feel delighted. Yet, just as powerfully, I feel frustration when I look at an empty page and find my mind suddenly void of ideas.

Writing requires that the inertia of not-writing be overcome. Overriding the tendency to remain at rest has always been a challenge for me. Not that I need a lot of rest, but sometimes I do seem to find it a little too pleasurable. Once I get going I usually enjoy whatever I pursue, but sometimes the impetus to start moving requires a little more energy than I seem to have readily available.

Spring, at least the appearance of spring, always invigorates me. I love the fact that all the dormant buds and bulbs are so eager to burst out with the return of warmer weather. The emerging growth is so anxious that it does not care if it is February or April. It does not count the days. It is not hampered by a desire for an extra month or two of rest. Instead, the air or the soil reaches a certain temperature and the awakening begins.

Plants embrace their purpose. If they have a mind, capable of pondering the reason for their existence, it doesn’t seem to get in the way. If they possess an independent will, which weighs the risks of growing against the benefits of not-growing, it is not evident. What is apparent, at least to me, is that all of nature is endowed with an indefatigable, inner drive to flourish, to become the best example of their species, which they are capable of becoming.

Plants use every resource available to thrive, regardless of the obstacles life places in front of them. If you don’t believe me, travel to Georgia and witness the phenomenon known as Kudzu. Regardless of its surroundings, it utilizes all the life force it can muster in order to grow.

Picture from http://www.jjanthony.com/kudzu/houses.html

At our core we have this same drive. We have a powerful, inner longing to BE the grandest version of ourselves we are capable of becoming. Unfortunately, most of us face two challenges: 1) We are not willing to expend the energy it takes to overcome our “being-at-rest” inertia & 2) Life has dampened our desire to visualize an image of ourselves greater than what we have already seen. Because of these two hindrances many of us simply elect to remain “small,” believing it to be easier.

The problem, for us humans, when choosing to remain small, is that our longing for the realization of our Divine Essence builds, within us, just as steadily as our heart beats. The choice to remain small is contrary to the soul’s desire to express our True Nature. This inconsistency creates conflict which can manifest itself as all types of emotional and physical impairments.

When our health breaks down, we typically seek relief through allopathic medicine. But since this practice focuses on symptoms and not on root causes, the remedies offered seldom address the underlying problems. So, even though we may deaden the pain created by our refusal to BE all we are capable of being, it never goes away. Beneath the  symptom-concealing medications, the urge to become the greatest expression of our Selves continues its prodding.

Ultimately, the only way to quell this inner prompting is through action; by choosing to say “Yes” to expressing our unique talents and gifts. All of us are artists, even if our preferred medium is not one which is collectively agreed upon as “Art.”  Life feels incomplete unless we agree to bring forth that which is ours to share. And I am not talking about a rhetorical agreement; I am speaking of a “Yes” which is demonstrated through action.

This has been proven to me in my writing.

I can give my inner critic way too much power. Sometimes the Elliott, who has problems with the inertia of rest, is lazy enough to be thwarted by the voice of reason, which is typically anything but reasonable.

The reminder of spring, when natures dormancy is overcome by its drive to thrive, has me excited; has me once again willing to commit to sharing my thoughts and musings on a more frequent basis. Even though I write every day, I have not been publishing my thoughts.

Today, I am finding that unsatisfying. I am feeling compelled to offer whatever I have to give, more often.

The flower does not bloom to please the world. It blooms because that is the way it expresses life. Flowers show up in cracks in the pavement, not because they are looking for an audience, not because they need to please someone or to “wow” the planet; they spring to life, wherever and whenever they can, because that is their purpose. Despite having no apparent capacity to reason, the flower has some inner wisdom that compels it to express Life as the uniqueness that it IS.

“To be or not to be” is not a perplexing problem for nature.

To live is “To BE,” period. The flower explodes out of a crack in the pavement because saying “Yes” to its calling is its only option. It does not require the approval of the nearby ivy. It does not demand acceptance from the pollinating honey bee. It has no longing for a prettier spot to bloom.

For the flower, Simply “Being” is enough.

Today, the flower shall be my mentor and Nature’s “drive to thrive” my inspiration.


 

3 comments

  1. Beautiful Helio! You’re always like a sun sharing his light! Thank you!

    Today, the flower shall be my mentor and Nature’s “drive to thrive” my inspiration.

    Love it!

  2. Elliott,

    Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts. It is exactly what I needed to get moving.

    We all appreciate you!

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Subscribe to our newsletter

Unleash the power of love through personalized letters.