Ah, gotcha! No, not cherries. That would basically be a bowl full of sameness. Instead, life is like a bowl of possibilities! Perhaps they look like marbles, each one a different size, color, and design–no two alike. This is the bowl of life, and each marble represents an emotion, a possibility, a way we can approach and respond to the day.
Every day we reach into that bowl and pick out a marble – a possibility – and that becomes our perspective for much of the day. We can grab any one we want. Some marbles may be more difficult to reach. They may feel less comfortable in our hand. Perhaps they scare us, intrigue us, confuse us or cause us to doubt our worthiness if they are particularly beautiful. Some may seem too big and we feel too weak; some may radiate with a light so bright that we’re too afraid to own it. If we are going to truly own and lead our own life, however, it’s time to stop reaching blindly into that bowl, choosing the first one we find, mindlessly taking what is easiest or most comfortable. Instead, ask: what is most needed of you?
What marbles will arm us with the strengths and tools that would benefit us most? Might we need two or three for our day? What might the people we cross paths with today need of us? The truth is simply this: In any given moment, your bowl of life is fully stocked with all the possibilities that exist. You get to select any one you want. So what will you choose?
The question many people bring up at this point is one of authenticity. Can you force this type of behavior? How can you really choose an option that doesn’t come naturally? What if I pick an option that’s not really me? For now, just own the choice. I’ll tackle that question next week.
