We are greater than the sum of our parts. We are more than just ‘ doings’, we are ‘ beings’, and as we go into 2006, spare a thought about who you are and want to be. Often you have to do something in order to be something. However, at times, we forget that the most powerful moments we have ever experienced are when we are just ‘ being’. Knowing when to differentiate the two becomes critical in a crises of identity or loss of confidence.
My friend Doug Scott, who has scaled more new mountaineering routes and difficult peaks that I can ever imagine, espouses a philosophy that embraces the importance of having a sense of being, always. Because this state can never be taken away from you. Your job can evaporate and your business can be ruined, but no one can take away your sense of being. Having this sense allows you to follow that next step to exploring the ‘ what next’ in your life without the burden of a title or a job designation. So as you go into 2006, spend some time focusing on who you are, in relation to where you are – instead of what you want to do. That can wait a while.
Just sitting by the beach and experiencing the sensation of a warm breeze and an azure sky is truly one way of exploring your sense of being. Cats have it too – just watch them gazing and absorbing the world around them with half-closed eyes. On that note, I’m off to be with my cat and share a sense of being, and nothing else.