Each of us has the right, the possibility to invent ourselves daily. If a person does not invent herself, she will be invented. Be bodacious enough to invent yourself. ~Maya Angelou
A dear friend shared this quote with me recently. The words of Maya Angelou never cease to inspire and amaze me with their insight and wisdom. With each day comes new possibilities, new opportunities. And yet, how often do we truly explore them? How often do we have the courage and audacity to fully embrace change, to evolve, to invent ourselves daily? I suspect that for most of us, the hurdle that lies between us and invention is our own inner critic, the judgments we lay upon ourselves over and over that limit our ability to love and accept who we are in each and every moment.
The first step on the eight-limbed yogic path is Ahimsa, non-violence. To practice Ahimsa means to do no harm in thought, word or deed – no harm to ourselves, to others, to the world around us. To practice Ahimsa we must truly embody compassion and lovingkindness, and this begins with ourselves. The Dalai Lama asks: “What is love? Love is the absence of judgment.” Through mindfulness we seek to observe each moment, each thought, emotion, and sensation, without judgment or attachment. Our mindful awareness shines a light on our inner critic and when these judgments are exposed and identified, they begin to lose their power over us.
In my classes I often invite students to turn their gaze inward, to reflect within. Both yoga and meditation are internal practices that enable us to know our true selves, to connect with the innate wisdom and beauty that lies deep within us. The trouble is that to reach this inner sanctum, we must slay dragons like self-doubt and fear, we must awaken from what author / meditation teacher Tara Brach calls the trance of unworthiness and fill ourselves to the brim with compassion, with lovingkindness, with acceptance of all that we are and all that we can be. Armed with the power of self-love and true acceptance, we can connect to our intuition and plumb the depths of our wisdom to guide us on our journey, our evolution, the bodacious invention of ourselves daily.
Change is inevitable. Deep down we know this to be true. Why, then, do we so often fear change, struggle against it, fight to maintain the status quo? Perhaps it’s because we are creatures of habit. We take comfort in our routines, we feel safe and secure when we are surrounded by what we know. However, when we look within, I doubt there is anyone who cannot recall a time when their routine was shattered, when the best laid plans were completely, perhaps tragically, derailed. No matter how well we plan, how far we try to gaze into the future, we will never be able to see clearly beyond the present moment, and we will never truly know what changes the next moment might bring.