Ordinary

The other day I watched a YouTube video on being ordinary. Or rather, why we tend to believe we have to be extra-ordinary to be considered successful, worthy, or achieved. I’ve long felt that all this talk about how to find your purpose, your calling, your passion is creating a new kind of anxiety. The anxiety of not ever finding out what we are here for. It puts the pressure on. When it might be way more helpful to take it off. And just relax into ourselves.

I don’t know about you but I find the increasing amount of self-help talks that tell me I MUST do this, or NEVER do that to change my life FOREVER, totally stressful. It’s like an extension, a new kind of consumerism. Instead of selling us stuff we are being sold advise we don’t need and that might actually be harmful. This, at least, is what it feels like to me.

How can it be right if I feel more insufficient, more lacking afterwards than before? So restless. Also, all those remedies, tips and hacks, if they worked, wouldn’t they be known to all of us anyhow? I’m so tired of videos and books claiming that there is yet another secret, another short-cut, another bullet-proof stairway to eternal bliss. It makes me want to run off in the other direction.

Then, this morning, I stumbled on this gem of a video. It’s about leading an authentic life. Simple as that. The moment I pressed the play button I was mesmerized by the presence of the speaker, her soothing warm voice, the cheeky spark in her eyes, her radiant young face contrasting with gorgeously natural grey hair, the poetry of her words, the gentleness of her nudge.

I instantly calmed down. It was like diving into a warm bath with permission to just close my eyes and relax and enjoy. I like that she doesn’t give any specific advice other than to dare to be just 5 percent more authentic this evening. Nothing else. Just to truly feel what we feel and do what we truly want to do, no matter how ridiculous, or ordinary, for that matter. Just one moment tonight.

How calming. And how reassuring. Thank goodness, my life is not going to change forever right after I stop listening to her.

Her whole point, and it is as unspectacular as it is beautiful, is that our only job, our only purpose in life might be to create our own unique look, our own music, our own sound, figuratively speaking. That we quiet other people’s voices so we can better listen to our own. That we allow all of our parts to come together to a congruent, truthful whole.

And become who we can best be.

me