Thursday, February 9, 2012

comparison, joy, & the unknown.




When we're walking into the unknown, it's easy to get lost in comparison. It's easy to look around and decide that what we're doing isn't right because it's not the same as the people next to us. The truth is, when we're walking into the unknown, the only path we can carve is our own. And I think there's joy to be found in the journey of the unknown. But don't mistake happiness for joy. Joy is different than happiness.

"Joy is having hope in the face of darkness and tragedy (and dare I say the unknown), and living life with a grateful heart for all of the things we do have, rather than focusing on all that we don't." - darling magazine

Joy is lasting, rooted. Joy is hope, freedom, becoming, depth. But comparison kills joy, and in the wake we're left with insecurity and doubt. With insecurity and doubt on our backs, walking through the unknown becomes incredibly more daunting and heavy.

When I'm teaching, my students get choices. They can choose to participate in activities or sit alone. They can choose to follow the rules or sit alone. They can choose how they want to behave, act, and engage in the school day. I think the same logic is applied here. We can choose how we want to behave, act, and engage in the unknown. We can choose to follow the way of comparison, or we can choose to believe that we're each forging our own path. We can choose insecurity and doubt, or we can choose joy. We can choose to believe that we're doing something wrong, or we can choose to believe that we're each telling our own story and no one can write it for us.



How will you engage in the unknown? 

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