what are you sippin’ on?

(~3 minute read)

This afternoon, I stepped outside my Silver Lake casita for a daily dose of Higher Power + inspiration. I lock eyes with a stunning tree.

Her name is Jacaranda.

“Nice to officially meet you boo!” I say to her. 

Every year around this time, I can always count on her to grow these lavender colored, bell-shaped flowers. She drops them onto my stoop like a surprise Amazon package!

After staring at her a liiiiiiiiittle while longer, I thought,

"Damn. Growth gon' happen regardless I suppose." 

I jumped (a teeny bit) at that thought. 

You see, I like to think of myself as a seeker. I usually search for ways to grow, challenge myself, learn, etc. 

But today, Miss Jacaranda had other ideas…

"You don't have to ‘search for’ or ‘make’ growth happen. It merely happens when we commit to our Higher Path." 

"Now what the f*ck?!" I thought. I had to take a pause before I swung on Miss Jacaranda (not that she was gonna fight back, but hey).

When I reaaaaaly think about it, our culture is obsessed with “seeking growth” because we feel like it's our responsibility to “fix” what is “wrong” with us. Like we have to replace a faulty part inside ourselves. Like we’re an inherently broken down car.

But the Truth is that nothing is wrong with us.

Nothing is wrong. 

Period. 

Exactly how we are, we are whole. 

“Seeking” something that merely happens when we commit, is a tactic to distract us from taking actionable steps along our Higher Path. 

OOOOOOOOOUCH b*tch!

(A wise soul once said the truth hurts. I’ll tell you this much: they ain’t f*ckin’ lyin’.)

Now this requires trust.

Trust is established and develops over time through a series of actionable steps. It gets stronger (it can also get weaker).

It’s in our actions where we show ourselves, we can be trusted in healthy relationships, bringing our dreams to life, etc.

But before we take those actionable steps we have to believe that our Higher Power “is conspiring to help us” [1]. 

Not test us. 

Not deceive us. 

Help us. 

And that we have everything we need to say “F*ck it. Let’s go.”

Life is teaching me that the key to belief is sipping from the right Kool Aid. 

If I listen to my parent’s fears about an artistic path not being worth it and the hustle and grind being “too much”, that’s a Kool Aid flavor. Let’s call this the Parent’s Fears Kool Aid. 

If I listen to my spiritual mentor’s encouraging words that I have everything I need, including a Power greater than any problem imaginable, that’s a Kool Aid flavor too. We’ll call this the Spiritual Mentor Kool Aid. (The best to hear, but hardest to trust). 

You see in the end, it has nothing to do with who seeks. And everything to do with who commits. 

It doesn’t matter how accredited you are. How trained, professional or precise you are. Without trust, belief, and sipping from the right Kool Aid flavor, those variables are meaningless. 

So what are you sippin’ on right now? 

You hear things every day, but what are you listening to? 

If you don’t know, start listening to everyone and everything with curiosity and care. And start making definitive choices about what you will allow in. You might just f*ck around and change your view.  

References

[1] Coelho, P. (1993). The Alchemist. Harper One.