The Invitation
by Oriah Mountain Dreamer
It doesn't interest me what you do for a living. I want to know what you ache for, and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart's longing.
It doesn't interest me how old you are. I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love, for your dreams, for the adventure of being alive.
It doesn't interest me what planets are squaring your moon. I want to know if you have touched the center of your own sorrow, if you have been opened by life's betrayals or have become shrivelled and closed from fear of further pain! I want to know if you can sit with pain, mine or your own, without moving to hide it or fade it, or fix it.
I want to know if you can be with joy, mine or your own, if you can dance with wildness and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes without cautioning us to be careful, to be realistic, to remember the limitations of being human.
It doesn't interest me if the story you are telling me is true. I want to know if you can disappoint another to be true to yourself; if you can bear the accusation of betrayal and not betray your own soul; If you can be faithless and therefore trustworthy.
I want to know if you can see beauty even when it's not pretty, every day, and if you can source your own life from its presence.I want to know if you can live with failure, yours and mine, and still stand on the edge of the lake and shout to the silver of the full moon, "Yes!"
It doesn't interest me to know where you live or how much money you have. I want to know if you can get up, after a night of grief and despair, weary and bruised to the bone, and do what needs to be done to feed the children.
It doesn't interest me who you know or how you came to be here. I want to know if you will stand in the center of the fire with me and not shrink back.It doesn't interest me where or what or with whom you have studied. I want to know what sustains you, from the inside, when all else falls away.
I want to know if you can be alone with yourself and if you truly like the company you keep in the empty moments.
"If you were like most teenagers, you couldn't wait to grow up. Betcha wanted the freedom and privileges that come with adulthood just as
ReplyDeletefast as you could get them. "Treat me like an adult," "Let me come and go as I please," and "You need to let me make my own decisions" were probably just a few of your rallying cries. Right? Sure! That's natural. But then here's what undoubtedly happened: You grew up (age wise, at least) and found that attached to those freedoms and privileges were a ton of responsibilities. There were more rules to follow, not less. Suddenly, the rest of the
world was holding YOU accountable for your behavior and decisions (instead of those who raised you) – AND STILL IS.
Everything you do in life is your choice. And that's especially true at work. You choose how you conduct yourself; you choose how you treat others; you choose your "attitude," and how you respond to stress and adversity; you choose the levels of honesty and integrity that you display. Ultimately, you choose whether to take your personal responsibility seriously or to shirk it.
The kicker to remember here is that there are consequences to each choice you (we) make. Bad choices usually have bad ramifications. And
blaming others for your poor choices is a waste of time. The "It's someone else's fault!" victim mentality is a sure path to nowhere. Want to be truly successful? Take responsibility for yourself and your choices. And choose well.
You are what you choose to be!"
-Steve Ventura
Don't let anything stop you from success!
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