Who are you....really? Or in the words of older folk, "Who you be?" The path to true joy - abiding joy - is not merely in the doing or even in the having. It is in the BEing.
Most people believe that if they 'have' a thing (more time, money, love - whatever) then they can finally 'do' a thing (write a book, take up a hobby, go on vacation, buy a home, undertake a relationship), which will enable them to 'be' a thing (happy, peaceful, content, or in love).
I don't know if this quote from Neale Donald Walsch's Conversations With God spearheaded the BE - DO - HAVE Principle. Or whether it's necessarily the truest path for all people. But when I came across this in my coaching stuff, it grabbed me. In essence, it encourages us not to concentrate on having. Rather, the doing and having should flow out of your BEing.
Most of my life was judged by my doing. If I sang well, won the 50 yard dash or brought home A's and B's, I was rewarded. If not, the words--and possibly my butt--stung! Maybe that's why I am a bookkeeper. Earning money was more of a priority than finding my passion and making it lucrative. Though there's nothing wrong with a job well done or having things, we shouldn't be owned by it.
Writing is my dream. It allows my soul to have a voice. But my dream needs to be more defined. Further it needs to become a mission statement that is both attainable and measurable. Go with me into my think-tank. What am I passionate about? What would I do if nobody paid me a dime? I'd read self-improvement books. I'd grab a nonfiction relationship how-to book in a hot minute, put my feet up and read it from cover to cover. And then....then...I'd write about it. Ha ha ha!
Certainly, the most read articles tend to be about celebrities, money, politics and sports. Notwithstanding, before you take out your measuring tape and regurgitate market statistics, let me clarify. In order for your dream to be realistic, ask yourself if it is suited to your temperament, your interest, your unique skill sets, your heartbeat. Dreams outside of that aren't genuine. Dreams outside of that are fiction. Dreams outside of that are merely the fantasies of DOing and HAVing. I could write about what's popular but there'd be no purpose. No joy. No BEing. Suffice it to say, in order for me to succeed as a writer, I have to respect the beat of my own heart.
