web counter

July 12, 2007

Change the World: Choosing Our Own Path

ME Liz Strauss wrote this at 8:15 am

Peer Pressure for Adults

Change the World!

Authenticity. It’s not easy to be authentic. I wonder whether anyone can. Maybe it’s a self-actualizing quest. Maybe it’s a journey, not a destination.

Yet.

An authentic world of transparent events, where fear of oneself no longer exists, has the potential beauty and productivity of any phenomenon nature ever made.

Yet.

As I look back at those who have walked to their calling, or at the tiny ones I taught who knew their own truth, I see they both found some rocky walking as they made their way along their paths. It’s my experience, too, that as I find my feet — as I know which direction is mine and which place to stand — some folks find it a duty to tell me what my role is and to follow the path that they set.

No.

“Choose wisely. Choose wisely, but choose your own path,” my father said. So did my friends. “Choose not for others, but always hold your choice for yourself.”

The choice is the action. The choice is the hope. The choice is the relationship and the place where you’ll go. The choice is the chance to know your head and your heart as they become your life. It is the choice that honors your self and the people you respect and love.

Only you know which is the right choice.

Say, “no.” When they say, “be someone other.”

Say, “no.” When they ask you to do what they won’t.

Say, “no.” Unless your heart and your head say “this is where my feet need to go.”

Authenticity knows how to choose its own path.

Authenticity is having faith in ourselves.

We can change the world — just like that.
–ME “Liz” Strauss

______________
If you’re ready to change the world, send me your thoughts in a guest post. Feel free to take the gorgeous Change the World image up there that Sandy designed back to your blog. Or help yourself to this one.

Change the World!.

Email me about what you’re doing or what we might do. Let’s change the world one bit at a time together. Together it can’t take forever.

Tags: , ,

Share This


Filed under Motivation/Inspiration, Successful Blog |



C'mon. Let's talk!

20 Comments to “Change the World: Choosing Our Own Path”

  1. July 12th, 2007 at 11:14 am
    Mike said

    Liz,

    Thank you for this wonderful reminder to consciously choose to be me.

    Mike

  2. July 12th, 2007 at 11:33 am
    ME Strauss said

    Hi Mike!
    I’m your memory in side your computer. :) ;)

  3. July 12th, 2007 at 11:50 am
    Mike said

    I used to think that was unusual; now I’m just darned grateful! :-)

    Mike

  4. July 12th, 2007 at 11:54 am
    ME Strauss said

    Some things in life just aren’t worth trying to explain. [giggle]

  5. July 12th, 2007 at 12:21 pm
    Gloria Luzier said

    Liz ~ Ooooooo, yes! It’s definitely a journey for me. I especially love what you articulated … “where fear of oneself no longer exists.” I needed the reminder this morning, thanks!

  6. July 12th, 2007 at 12:30 pm
    ME Strauss said

    Hi Gloria!
    We are particularly good at scaring ourselves, aren’t we. I know that I am. I know all of my weaknesses better than anyone does and push my buttons all of the time. :)

  7. July 12th, 2007 at 12:49 pm
    zakman said

    Liz,

    I always had my doubts, but now I’m sure–you’re either a clairvoyant or some kind of psychic. Or else, how come every one of your posts seem to be written especially for me? That too, written for the day and sometimes for the very moment I read them :)

    Choice? It’s a luxury that I can’t afford at this phase in my life. It’s so scary at times that it looks like my mind is hard-wired only to make the wrong choice. [”Not Safe To Be Free” — James Hadley Chase]

    But I can’t help but feel strongly that faith and choice are strongly intertwined. I have experienced the sheer happiness arising from faith. When it comes down to choices, that’s when I have to use my head rather than my heart.

    Honest I’m not trying to sound like a poet or a philosopher, but it really seems like my heart and head are never on the same page at the same time.

    It’s like the jig-saw thing; I see all the pieces, even identify them, but just freeze when it comes to putting them together.

    Am I authentic? Not sure. Well sometimes I dread that everyone will one day find out what a fraud I am… how I cheated myself.

    And Liz thanks for being able to read my thoughts from 7036 miles miles way, and providing a platform from where I can look at myself. :)

  8. July 12th, 2007 at 2:14 pm
    Joanna Young said

    Hi Liz, are you inside my pc too?! I’m on a path theme at the moment too :)

    Joanna

  9. July 12th, 2007 at 2:33 pm
    ME Strauss said

    Zakman,
    I wonder whether you understand how you represent all of us? Keeping head and heart together is no easy deal. I’m here to say so. My head was so powerful, more powerful than my faint heart. Bossy thing. My heart was shy, willing to give in and take the pain. I’d bounce between them I’d never know which was me. Finally I realized that they had to have the same values.

    It wasn’t my heart that had taken on someone else’s, or that lost track of what was important, or that got insensitive to beauty and people. :)

    Zakman,
    Your heart is courage. Your mind is striving. I hear a man who expects so much from himself. Please know that we all have a fear of falling on some day — it wasn’t that long ago that it was a regular thing for me to want to crawl into a hole. That’s why we have community. That’s why I’m here inside your computer. That’s why there’s listening — because we all go there. It’s authentic to be confused. It’s authentic to be afraid. You might be the most authentic one of all of us.

    Liz

  10. July 12th, 2007 at 3:10 pm
    ME Strauss said

    Hi Joanna!
    I just found that out. Blogger synchronicity. I’m so smiling! Great minds follow the same paths. :)

  11. July 12th, 2007 at 7:15 pm
    A Good Life So Far » all, was, then, my, Don't die before you're dead, Thanks, Don't, Just, DadI, job I » Just Thinkin' said

    […] So here I sit after a hard day’s work with my bones telling me all about it when I ran across a post at Successful Blog that held up a big sign and things started falling together once again. The above post triggered […]

  12. July 12th, 2007 at 7:30 pm
    Kirk M said

    Your post here triggered something(gee…your posts have never done that before) and I just had to drop everything and write up my own post about it. Funny thing (again)that I was just thinking the same lines today but what you said here brought it all together. here’s the link in case you and anyone else might be interested.

    http://just-thinkin.net/just-thinkin/a-good-life-so-far/

    Thanks once again Liz. Just more stuff we can talk about. :D

  13. July 12th, 2007 at 9:56 pm
    GP said

    synchronicity yet again. Was riding alle with trainer joani in a “dress rehearsal” for saturday’s show and she asked me if i was still planning to do an endurance ride on Picken this year.

    I told her that while everyone’s been telling us to do it , etc… it doesnt feel anymore like the right path for her and me. Rather focus on showing with Alle… which is a complete change of path/direction for me from two months ago. Gotta watch for those crossroads on the path

    gp in montana

  14. July 12th, 2007 at 10:26 pm
    ME Strauss said

    Hi Kirk!
    Of course folks want to read what you write about this. I find it deeply satisfying that you and I are often on the same wavelength. We share many thoughts, don’t we? Thank you for letting me know that. :)

  15. July 12th, 2007 at 10:28 pm
    ME Strauss said

    Hey GP!
    Your change of path wounds like the right thing for you. I hear the focus in what you’re saying. So Alle is to e the one. Good luck on Saturday. :)

  16. July 14th, 2007 at 10:27 pm
    Lyman Reed said

    What a beautiful post! And some great comments too…

    I’ve always found it fascinating how hard it is to actually be who we are - it seems to me that it should be the most natural thing in the world. But it (obviously) isn’t. It’s a tough thing to stand up to the world and say “This is me… take it or leave it.” Sometimes the world’s promise of making us comfortable in exchange for being something else is too tempting.

    Thank you, Liz, for reminding us that the rewards of authenticity far outweigh any perceived costs.

    Especially when it’s both our heart *and* our head that’s telling us to move.

  17. July 14th, 2007 at 10:40 pm
    ME Strauss said

    Hello Lyman!
    Welcome! Thank you for taking the time to read and comment so thoughtfully.

    It’s true. Being authentic should be easy — at least it seems so. Yet it could be the hardest challenge going.

    Authenticity is its own reward. It becomes the ease of wearing our own skin, walking in our own shoes. When we choose our own path, we have a purpose and life has meaning. That’s a difference that we can’t borrow.

    Lyman, it’s nice to meet you. :)

  18. July 14th, 2007 at 11:08 pm
    Lyman Reed said

    It’s nice to be met, Liz. :) And thanks for the quick reply to my comment!

  19. July 14th, 2007 at 11:09 pm
    ME Strauss said

    Hi Lyman,
    You’re new around here. Pull up a stool. Have a drink of your choice. That’s the way we do things. Welcome. You’re not a stranger anymore. :)

  20. July 24th, 2008 at 6:43 pm
    Weaving words together | Coaching Wizardry said

    […] writing it Robyn pointed me towards a serendipitous post that the amazing Liz Strauss had also just penned on choosing our own path, and resisting peer pressure.  I love the way […]

Name (required)

Email (required)

Website

C'mon Let's Talk!