Thursday, February 11, 2010

"The Hero & His Mentor"--Feb 11, 2010

“Go in search of your Gift. The more you understand yourself, the more you will understand the world.”
~Paulo Coelho, from Brida


Every person believes they are born with a Gift and many people struggle within themselves for lack or inability to discover this elusive concept of one thing that should identify who they are. To say you are looking for a Gift is an illusion. We aren’t necessarily born with Gifts, but rather with Passions that are shared or given to the world, for the sake of others. This act of sharing your Passion is the Gift.

In my time spent studying the human condition I have discovered many people suffer with the notion that they don’t have or at the least, aren’t aware of their Gifts. Because of the nature of my work as a servant and contributor to the Soul of humanity, I am often asked questions such as these: How do you know what your Gifts are? How did you discover your Gifts? How can I tell or determine what my special Gift is? Or, they say things that give the impression they aren’t as special as others for not having any mystical or magical Gifts. My answer and explanation is this: The Passion and enthusiasm that sparks life within everyone around you, either when you do this one thing, speak of it, or act on its behalf is the physical and external representation of your Souls inner voice; that which brings you pure joy is your Passion and the manner by which you share it with the world freely is your Gift.

These two concepts of Passion and Gift go hand in hand and the mistake lies when people try to separate the two, searching for one, without understanding or appreciating the other. Each represents a variance of expression of your Soul or your spirit—your true self. The ability to share your Passion is a Gift; what you share is your Passion. Each of these aspects—one being physical and one being emotional—are components required to create a balance or harmony to your spirit, because they are together a direct representative of your Soul—or your spiritual being. The three—your Passion, your Gift and your Soul—together comprise you as the unique individual. One cannot survive without the other. A greater concentration of one will tip the scales and bring an imbalance that causes distress and confusion within your Soul, which then births turmoil within your mind that is then expressed in the physical form. This is a form of unhappiness. It is not your duty to find your Gift so much as it is your responsibility to discover a means to share your Passion. To discover your Passion is to discover your true essence—who you are as the spiritual being—not what your Ego or mind has led you to believe of yourself. To discover your Passion you have to learn to silence your mind or ignore the Ego and listen to the subtle whisper of your Soul. Your Passion does not come from within your mind, but only from your Soul.

The mind is the palatial seat of your Ego, and the Ego only represents what you have experienced already, what has been conditioned to be your truth of your past experiences—culture, religion, traditions, etc. And the Ego also uses those experiences to create chaos or struggle with who you were purposed to be. This is the duality of individuality—the struggle between who we think we ought to be (Ego) and what we believe we were purposed to become (Soul). This can be viewed as the inner struggle between thought and action, good and evil or responsibility and dreaming. In short, you are your Soul and your Soul or spirit is what births your Passion and your Gift is the manner by which you share your Passion, or the thing or things special and unique only to you. Your Ego is the hindrance to your personal discovery because within the Ego or mind lay the guilt of your past, the fear of the future, the anxiety to act on behalf of your Soul and the doubt to ever move forward or break loose of what or who you have been led to believe you are. When you learn to separate yourself from what your Ego has convinced you to believe of yourself, and thereby allow your spirit to become the dominant force or representative of the self, it is then you will discover your Gift, which is simply the manner in which you share your Passion.

Your Gifts aren’t something you conjure within your mind nor are they subtle inclinations and momentary desires, but an ability to share a Passion, which is the voice of your Soul. Understanding this means you cannot find your Gift, but learn how to share your Passion. I cannot stress this enough. You can discover your Passion, and learn how to share it, and this is the Gift. To give something to someone is to give them a Gift. What you give is your Passion and your Passion is the representation of the voice within your Soul. As an example, I can write stories and I have an ability to share the written word. This is my Passion, but how I share it with the world is my Gift. If a person said they can sing, but wouldn’t dare sing before others, then they don’t have a Gift to give, but a Passion they will not share. And because the Soul is dependent upon both Passion and Gift to act together, by not giving away your Passion you are thereby creating turmoil within your Soul. This again is what we call unhappiness. Joy is the feeling or emotion we get when we give to someone else. Joy is the feeling or emotion we get when we give to someone else freely, without expectance of something in return. To obtain greater joy or happiness in your life, you must first have the courage to share your Passion, or simply give the Gift of your Soul.

Do not let your mind destroy your Passion. As an artist I understand the necessity for solitude, the much needed requirement of silent time alone, away from the masses in a moment of stillness and peace. Creativity is born when the mind is at peace or when the Ego has been silenced or altogether ignored. Some people call this process of quieting the mind prayer and others call it meditation. As an artist, I call it both. It is in the late hours of the night I create my best written work, because it is within the silence of the night and the quieting of my mind I am thereby able to discern the subtle whispers of my Soul, which spark pure creativity. This desire to write and find balance within myself is my Passion. To cease writing would suffocate my Soul. For others, to quit playing a musical instrument, quit cooking, singing, dancing, painting, drawing, etc., would destroy them internally. This is because to refrain from doing these things, is to ignore the Soul, which is to ignore your true self. By spending time alone every day, in silence, you will be able to better understand your Passion, and then when you discover a means to share it, you will find that which you thought you were looking for—your Gift.

Your mind or Ego will work to convince you that you are not worthy of helping or serving others because of your past (Guilt). Your Ego will scare you away from the adventures of those uncharted waters within your future (Fear). Your Ego will convince you to belittle your own abilities within the present moment (Doubt). Fear, Doubt, and Guilt are tools of the Ego which create anxiety and within them, physical pain or outward expressive unhappiness. Your Soul is the part of you that wishes only to give. Your Soul is the part of you that represents the light and all the good of who you were purposed to be. Your Soul is your true self. Have the courage to listen to your Soul and you will discover your Passion today and have reason and cause to share your Passion as a Gift tomorrow. In this process you will discover a greater sense of purpose, reason and more importantly, happiness. Writing these words is my Passion. Sharing these words of encouragement with you is my Gift. I look forward to seeing what Passions you will share as a Gift to the world tomorrow.

~Bobby Ozuna  | Feb 11, 2010
Author of PROUD SOULS
www.OzunaPub.com

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