A Blank Canvass is the Playground for Curiosity
There is something beautiful about a blank canvass. It’s the paint or the words on a blank page that transform meaning as we create a fresh story. A canvass invites us to create with pure intention.
Every canvass is an opportunity to express ourselves without care of what anyone thinks about our creation. Vincent Van Gogh shared, “Many painters are afraid of the blank canvas, but the blank canvas is afraid of the painter who dares and who has broken the spell of ‘you can’t’ once and for all.”
What if all we need in life is the freedom to make our own choices? What if we could make choices without needing to defend or explain them to anyone else? And what if this was true for each of us and we allowed this freedom to each other?
There Are No Sides on A Blank Canvass (Unless We Create Them)
Imagine when we invest our energy, on our path, exploring and creating possibilities instead of having to defend our choices to someone else who has an insatiable need to win and be right?
There are different sides proclaiming right now that they are winning and it saddens me because what is the point of winning if we continue to feed a hungry machine that wants us to be divided in suffering? It gives no pleasure to see so many people on this planet hurting and fighting for our lives.
Do you know what percentage of your life you have spent feeling resistance and how many relationships have worn you out by needing to defend your choices, or how many times you haven’t made certain choices because of fear?
This is what discernment is all about in 2022. It is no longer about judgment. When we step away from battles and conflicts—the need to be right and win at all costs—we free ourselves by opening ourselves to opportunities. If someone is so bent on being right, why do we not give them the gift to be right with oneself?
When we do this, we make a conscious choice and become aware that there is no need to fight. Because at the end of the day, one person may win the fight but in the long term, everyone loses. Just look at our history and you will see these dramas playing out over and over.
The divisions are deep and are also inside each one of us, especially right now, which is why the gift that we have given in our ability to choose is to be mastered right now. When we find ourselves in situations that ask us to consider what is right and what is wrong, go to the source of where you learned to distinguish between the two and question whether this framework is still applicable and relevant to you.
We have been programmed to choose sides and to see the world through the lens of good and bad. And in taking a side and a stand, we have learned to connect with others who share our beliefs and judgments. We have known that our choice has a consequence that is associated with acceptance by others.
But what about our own health? Why are there still so many of us who in times of vulnerability admit to doing “soul-crushing work” and choose to continue down this path to pay the bills?
Not At Our Own Expense
Would it not be amazing to live in a world where there is no imposter syndrome, for example, because we can be who we truly are and the people and systems around us allow us to be true to ourselves? As a child of war, I can tell you that fighting will continue to keep us trapped until we own our power to choose a healthier way of living by stepping out of the fight or divide.
Sure, it’s important to listen and be aware. But the lesson life is teaching us right now is not to do things at our own expense. I spoke to this remarkable man this week who came to me with a dilemma and choice. I listened and asked him questions. It was clear what choice his heart was whispering him to make but his head was misinforming him with past stories of unworthiness. You see, he was at a crossroads and by practicing discernment, he could choose to walk away from a path that would support someone else at his own expense.
When we are constantly defending our position, there is no flow as our energy is stuck and we deplete our source. When we let go, there is no longer a need to force our choices on others for fear making a wrong choice.
Imagine that all we need in life is the freedom to make our own choices. What if you could make choices without needing to defend or explain them to anyone else? What would you choose? What battles would be over and done with?
And how would your blank canvass begin to portray your emerging story?