I love a lot of things, but ask me my purpose, my passion I couldn’t tell you with absolute certainty about one thing that drives me. There simply is not one thing, only lots of things – breadth over depth. I have always envied those people around me who are crystal clear, unwaveringly clear about what they want – to do, be, have; the dedicated focus of those who know, you know? For ages I would strive to choose one thing to be my one thing, in the misguidance that the superior way was the one way.
I remember watching a TED talk by Elizabeth Gilbert where she explained that there are two types of people – hummingbirds and woodpeckers. The woodpeckers know exactly what they want to do and pursue it relentlessly – living and breathing it. The hummingbirds, on the other hand, don’t know what they want to do so they go from flower to flower, enjoying the variety and difference laid out on nature’s “buffet”. The hummingbirds also help to keep the woodpeckers fresh, sharing new ideas, things they’ve seen and done so that the woodpeckers can make their thing better. How fantastic, a deep realisation opened up within me – I didn’t have to love just one thing! I was a hummingbird! Ironically, my not-one thing is now defined as a one thing – wait what? *insert lol*
As we peel away the ideas of who we are and move towards our true essence we begin to hear and then to trust in our intuition, our gut, our inner knowing. Quiet, gentle and soft – we need to lean in to it and use it over and over again, ultimately we want it to be our default setting. The very best personal guiding system, helping us to navigate our daily lives. Tuned in, in the stillness of any moment, that gentle tug, the sweet charm of our next best action is there for us to choose.
Simply listening and then honouring our inner self, whether you are a hummingbird or a woodpecker – it doesn’t matter, you will always do good.
Love,
Jo x