Must do - Continue to grow and progress toward your goal.
Why - When you stop making progress, a couple of things can happen: 1st you could derail yourself and never go back to the task. 2nd you could miss out on opportunities that would have presented themselves when you were no longer progressing. 3rd lose hope and change the course before it is time to move on.
Perspective:
Yes, I meant authenticity and not being authentic. The difference is that authentic, though it is a great accomplishment, it isn’t fluid enough description. People are growing and changing, so authenticity adds a little elasticity to the word. Meaning you’re true to self. Your authentic self will be ever-flowing like the waves of an ocean. As a result, everything else surrounding you needs to be just as fluid as you are. You cannot flow if bounded by things, people, and goals that don’t move. It is like being mad that water will move, vibrate and flow with the movement but only in the confines of the space and place you pour it into.
Whether a shallow bowl or a pin drops worth, people tend to place barriers on their ability. We learn to limit our speech and vocabulary about our desires in society. It begins in the educational system that confines our gifts to books and linear curriculums. Teachers know they can be terminated for exploration that will not be evaluated on standardized tests. Standardize test are meant to test students’ ability to manipulate the information they have learned to answer questions. Children cannot naturally explore the way their minds grasp information. They are given step by step guides of thinking, tested on their ability to use these guides, graded on the success of methods, and then grouped by how they can think “outside the box.” We either get disinterested in the process as a student, learn to limit ourselves because of the restraints, or soar beyond them. Very few of us fly.
One thing you need is the ability to transcend above and beyond limitations. Create a boundless being no longer restrained by gravity. No longer can you look to the confines of anything. What you want to know and learn now are more at your fingertips than ever before. Learning is now so vast because of the internet and its capabilities. During this journey, you yearn to be boundless and create your forever happiness. With this comes the responsibility to be useful to others in your community and service to others. This journey does not allow you to separate yourself from others and keep its goal for self-use. Happiness is not attainable through others. Happiness is contingent on what you do for others and yourself. How you treat others will vastly affect your ability to be happy. It can even cause you to bind yourself where you are trying to unbound.
What I Realized
Living a boundless existence means to live without limits. Especially the limits you placed upon yourself. The most dangerous ones are the ones that are in your mind. They are the most debilitating when it comes to your flight or lack thereof. For ages, and still to this day, I have moved to my own beat, my own drum, and a song that only I and very few others could get down and grove too. I believe in the system that I was raised in and have had one hell of a time trying to fit my infinity piece into anything that this world offers. Schooling, which I am sorry to say, has not changed much with small group instruction (but of course, I digress). It became even more debilitating when it came to the work environment. And I have worked in several different professions, none befitting who I am as an individual. Now I have a lot less courage than in my youth, but I wish I had a generous amount of direction when I was a courageous youth.
What I Did Next
Here in this space, I know that I must practice what I love, and so must you. Do it often and try our best to do it well. We should worry less about where these loves take us or how fast. Instead, concentrate on doing something you love, for the simple fact that it brings you joy. It is hard not to worry about what the world tells us to worry about—food, housing, clothing, money, possessions, etc. The list is expansive on things that we should take seriously and put energy into. Unfortunately, I have tried things the worldly way. After 40 years plus, I find myself disappointed, broke as a joke, and struggling now to stay sane when everything around me is losing its bird. I actually can smile as I write this. I have found a purpose and a reason to get up every morning. I live my daily life with purpose and sustain it with prayers. I hope I can give it some meaning outside of myself. But until that day, I will continue to strive towards complete authenticity of self.
There are days when the flow is moving vigorously, and I feel like a mover and a shaker getting things done. There are other times where I can barely tell there is any movement at all. More days are a combination of the two and every motion in between. Learn to smile through it all, not stress. Use the core group of supporters to unload on, lend ideas, energy, or emotional support. Surprisingly I have not had to worry about much else but my craft. The money, food, and housing seem to have taken a back seat and are currently the least of my thoughts. But this also changes for me, depending on the day or my mood. It might be the same for you as well. Flow with it. Don’t let any of your feelings besides happiness or gratefulness take center stage right now. Count your blessings! My blessings currently are that my family and I are eating like a royal family. Our home is ours, and in no threat of being taken anytime soon; we have just enough possessions and material things to be content. Once you have counted yours, our job is to continue to strive and concentrate on the purpose!