While traveling in Kyoto we visited many amazing temples. To get this shot I am standing on the balcony of one temple looking at a different temple in the distance. All I could think about was the person who had the vision to pick the spot to build this incredible red spectacle. What practical challenges did they know they would face in order to build such an amazing structure with such an incredible view?
We all have great ideas and we all have great ways of talking ourselves out of moving forward on those ideas. We remind ourselves of our past failures, our lack of follow through, our over extended work load and our lack of self confidence. We let the urgent usurp the important and before we know it we have convinced ourselves to pass on this idea and wait for another one to come to us at a more convenient time.
No one who achieved anything did it without work or only when it was convenient. Making things happen is messy, uncontrollable, frustrating, hard work, and forces us to learn new things about ourselves and our abilities. When we are honest with ourselves we do not always have it within us to overcome our doubts about ourselves. So we sit back and let life happen to us instead of us making our future happen.
Let us be thankful for the people who had the courage and gumption to move forward on their ideas despite their internal struggles. We are the recipients of the outcome from their hard work and inconvenience. We are the generations later who can stand on a balcony and admire someone else’s vision that has surviveD the elements and still brings awe and wonder into the world.
Why not make today the day you turn off your internal tapes that only speak of past failure and despair, and turn to the internal station that reminds you of what wonderful things you have accomplished? Let today’s idea be the one that sees the light of day and brings awe and wonder to the people in your world.
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