You Cannot Hate Yourself Into Becoming What You Want to Be.

THIS is probably the biggest lesson I've learned...oh, ever.  It sounds New Age-y, but whatever we want to be is already inside of us.  No one can get it for us.  Sure, others can help: A therapist, a best friend, a life coach, a mentor, etc. But they can only guide us, not do the actual work for us. A Sherpa isn't going to drag you up to the top of Mt. Everest, you have to get there under your own power or not at all.  I think of it like a sculpture:  The artist sees the form within the rock, then chips away until that form appears.  Richard Feynman used to talk about how only scientists could truly appreciate the beauty of a flower, because only they can see the intricate patterns that make it up.

Science and art are very closely related, IMHO.

Calling yourself stupid won't make you smart.  Calling yourself useless won't make you of use. Calling yourself ugly won't make you beautiful.  And yet we spend so many YEARS doing just that: Berating ourselves in the hope that doing so will make us "better."

Sometimes, in my more optimistic moods, I sense a sea-change coming: A time when we will learn to lead with our hearts, to let go of greed, to get rid of one-upmanship. When we realize, if I can quote that great philosopher "High School Musical,"  that "we're all in this together."  That, as others have said, no one gets out of this life alive, so we may as well make the best of it.

I believe, now, that we are all destined for greatness. That is our purpose.  But greatness is different for everyone.  For some it's discovering cold fusion or curing disease, while for others it may be to raise kids that become good, kind people, or to rescue animals, or to simply be as good at their job as possible.
I guess we all decide for ourselves what our greatness is.

I'm seeing a time, again, during those optimistic periods, when we see beauty all around us, when we stop worshipping the surface and look more deeply.
Of course, in my less-tan-optimistic moments, I see everything going to Hades.  :)

So, I have decided to take a look around and focus on the good stuff.   Because there is a whole lot of it, even if we can't always see it.

Tonight I begin a new 8-week writing class.  It uses the acting techniques of Michael Chekhov to influence our writing, so it'll involve some movement.  Since I've never studied Chekhov's technique in-depth, I'm very excited, but also nervous.  I'm trying to remind myself that I don't have to prove anything.  The reason I am taking this class is to learn something new, not to show show off what I already know.  Because, really, that would be a massive waste of my money and everyone's time.  To NOT be the Good Student, trying to do everything "right" and please the instructor, and just take in as much as I possibly can.  She, the teacher, is there to pass on her knowledge, not sit in judgement.

OK.  On a COMPLETELY different subject, did you see Benedict Cumberbatch on "Sesame Street"?!?!?!?!  I'm still trying to learn how to embed videos here. You can see it on YouTube.
Also, "His Last Vow":  AMAZING!
And online footage of Peter Capaldi signing autographs for & taking photos with fans & generally being completely lovely in Cardiff between takes on the set of "Doctor Who" just makes me admire him all the more.

Anyway, that's all for now.  I'm off to find some images to kickstart my imagination for tonight.  Wish me luck!

;)