When you carve away everything unnecessary, what will you find underneath?
I want you to consider for a moment the job of a sculptor. A sculptor will choose material – wood, clay, marble, ice, etc.– and then chisel, shave, chip, and carve away the unwanted and unneeded material– to unveil the vison they see in their mind. They get rid of the unnecessary pieces that do not serve them. They cut away all the extraneous material to reveal the piece of art living within.
Now consider for a moment that you are an artist; a sculptor about to create your greatest masterpiece, and your material is you. It’s your ability to live your most true, grounded, joyful, authentic self. Your ability to allow yourself success, and joy, and kindness, and comfort. Your ability to see your self-worth and hold onto the self-belief that feeds your truest self and your greatest good. And what is it that you need to carve away to unveil your true beauty, your true strength, your true courage, and your true self?
I came across this quote recently and it really made me pause:
“Tell me what you pay attention to and I will tell you who you are.” José Ortega y Gasset
It gave me such pause that I journaled about it and asked myself this question– what do I most pay attention to and is that really who I want to be? I was brutally honest with myself and it was painful, and embarrassing, and very human. Sometimes we get wrapped up in the unnecessary “material” (negative automatic self-talk, painful and inaccurate self-beliefs, old worn out scripts) that ends up hiding all the beauty that lies underneath.
To get to the most powerful and true version of yourself, you need to take a little inventory and assess what you tend to pay attention (assess where you are “parking” your thoughts) and ask yourself whether it’s time to carve some of that away. As in life– so goes performance… if you really want to see what you are capable of in your work/sport/family/life, take time to reflect on these life-changing questions:
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What 20% of your thoughts create 80% of your inner angst and turmoil?
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What is something you are afraid to admit to yourself that you really want?
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What are you sick of believing about yourself?
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What thought patterns do you continue to feed that no longer serve you?
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What old scripts do you need to free yourself from?
What are you ready to carve away in order to create your masterpiece?