6/23/2023 0 Comments Embrace my shadowWhat are the benefits of embracing your dark side? When we’re trying to prove our worth, we may become someone we don’t even recognize.Īccording to Ford, “We exhaust our internal resources when we try not to be something. We may try so hard not to show weakness or imperfection that we start chasing dreams that we don’t even want, filling our days with empty duties. When we don’t own all parts of ourselves, it can make certain aspects of our daily life challenging. This saved him from a tragic accident that killed his closest friend and severely injured others. This not only “kept him out of fights, ” Ford writes, but in college, it also made him pass on going out with friends when he knew there would be heavy alcohol use. He also hated seeing weakness in others.Īfter talking with Ford, however, Steven realized that he was still a “wimp ” in some areas of his life, and being a wimp actually helped him.įor example, being a wimp made him more cautious. In fact, he did everything he could to prove he wasn‘t weak - from becoming a black belt in karate to lifting weights. His father replied, “What kind of man are you going to make? You’re nothing but a little wimp, you’re an embarrassment in our family. When he was 5 years old, Steven told his father that he was terrified of going on a pony ride. In her book, Ford shares the story of Steven, a man who was worried about being a wimp. “Every emotion and every trait we possess helps show us the way to enlightenment, to oneness. “Every aspect of ourselves has a gift, ” writes Ford, who was a speaker, teacher, and coach. By uncovering and embracing our shadow side, we can accept all parts of ourselves. Our dark sides are a part of our experience. Or, you may have buried them so deep that you don ’t even realize they exist.īut embracing these qualities actually opens the door to happiness, fulfillment, and “true enlightenment,” according to Debbie Ford in her book “ The Dark Side of the Light Chasers.” You may not like these so-called negative traits about yourself. You may sometimes act judgmental, angry, selfish, or controlling. The ones others may have rejected or that we believe deem us undeserving or unworthy of love. It’s the traits we might be ashamed of or embarrassed about. There is no wrong with creativity.We all have a “dark side ” - qualities that we often don ’t like to reveal to others. Examine your body with fresh eyes and see how your current physical situation can be incorporated into something fresh and new. Creativity is the skill we use when confronted with boundaries. Is some false belief about your body holding you back from entering a classroom or learning a new art? Instead of asking yourself, “Why did this happen to me?,” ask yourself, “What is in this situation for me?” Don’t stop this process until you have written at least three answers.Ĭreativity is not limited to only a few. Take a few moments of silence and reflect on your current life circumstances. Don’t let your perceived limitations hold you back from being inventive. But our physical constraints, like our physical gifts, only add to the individualized expression of who we are. It’s easy to feel your body keeps you from creativity. She also recognized a gift in the experience and shared how her collage work merged new skills with her sense of color and design. She used to paint unbelievably detailed watercolors - but because of a tremor, she could no longer control the brush with such precision and had decided to move into collage work. The unique aspects of my body revealed a fresh, innovative new facet in my creative DNA.Īfter sharing, I was incredibly moved when an older woman raised her hand and explained that she, too, had physical limitations. I realize the gift in this life situation. Because of this, I perceive depth and shadow differently, and it’s reflected in my art. My eyes don’t see the world as everyone else does. I realized that because I see light reflections and odd shadows through my left eye, my abstract work had taken on an unusual 3-D effect. One day, as I was presenting my book The Spiritual Artist to a local art group, I shared how a damaging Lasik eye surgery in my 40s changed my artmaking. W e bring our bodies to the creative process.
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