From a human doing to a human being

Hello beautiful lil lights in each of you !!!!

So today I want to approach a thing I often struggled with and I am sure some of  you probably struggled with it too or have seen people around you do....The "thing" is the concept of self-perception whereby instead of seeing myself as a soul, a person, a living creature or a person, I insisted on seeing myself as a human doing and often identified with what I am to be professionally or what I am currently doing....Then I had an aha moment in the midst of the madness, which made me realize that I wasn't only putting a lot of pressure on myself, trying to control everything, wanting everything perfect (as if I can control and gauge the unpredictable things in life), I was also limiting the light in me, I am much more than a career, a profession, a position, etc..

As much as it is important to pride yourself in being a hard worker, have a sense of effort and purpose and simply not being lazy all day er'day, we are first and foremost human being not human doings...There is so much more to offer than what you skillfully provide to the world, from what you have learned in school or the practical skills you learned at work, there is a soul inside of you, there is a spirit that has so much to offer to the world. What the soul and spirit in you has to offer counts much more than the skills you have, in the sense that whatever you do, if you are not kind to others, if you are not loving towards other, if you do your job reluctantly or overly allow it to define who you are, you can easily lose the treasures you have inside, you can lose yourself and totally be dehumanized..

One impediment that comes with identifying ourselves as a profession is that it can take over ourselves to the point where we lose ourselves. I tend to imagine what would be left if I was stripped of any title, award, job, career, opportunity, what would be left of me? Your job/your career can totally take over your life to the point where you get off balance, to the point where you lose your relationships, become lonely and alone, intentionally secluded and unhealthy. The sad part is that if you die tomorrow, the company can always find a replacement. 

The second problem that comes with identifying ourselves as human doings is that you can easily be trapped in comparisons birthing unhealthy competition, yet there will always be someone brighter, stronger, more creative and more successful than you. Besides for a long time and most times you might not even get any sort of recognition, reward, acceptance, or be included in a certain "group" you hoped to be part of by choosing a certain career or by doing certain things to get there; reason being that those relationships formed would not come from a  genuine and sincere place and people can sense it. Moreover anything requires time to mature and be excellent, everything requires to go through a process.

 Thirdly, you can easily grow weary and tired when you see yourself as a human doing, for the simple reason that you are prone to taking everything so personal, be afraid of failure and no one is ever perfect or does everything perfectly at all times, we need to remember to be humble, to be eager to learn and to grow and transform each and every time; and that sometimes requires one to slow down, accept the fall and dust yourself off , learn something new and keep it moving. 

Lastly, being a human doing brings a false sense of security, you may think that you will hold a certain position forever, you may think that for sure you worked hard enough compared to so and so and yet not get your promotion and soon enough you might be bitter and angry when yet there is more for you outside (every rejection is actually a form of protection). You might even be laid off any time, you might even be depressed if a certain project does not get as much success. So let us free ourselves from all these boxes, titles and things we try to bind our souls with, let us not limit ourselves to one thing or idea of ourselves, there is a myriad of things in us we need to explore be we can't find all these treasures when we don't go beyond the shallow waters of the surface of our being...

As a recovered control freak, ex perfectionist yet a firm believer of excellence, this is not a call to slack at work or school because you are trying to be a being more than doing your work, this is a call to unburden your soul, be grateful for every opportunity you are given and appreciate it, strive for more...However be conscious enough to not allow your work to take away your soul, your spirit and who you are....As Erykah Badu said it "Bag Lady, pack light".

Shawl/vest: Cotton On

Polo Neck: random shop

Pants: Woolworth

Shoes: Fashion Express

Remember to smile, remember to be yourself, remember to treasure your joy...