It’s been over a year since I’ve written, much less published an article, or have been able to collect my thoughts in one place.
However, there has been this nagging thought about wisdom, its origin, how it matures, and above all else, how it’s applied.
Wisdom comes only from understanding and understanding often only comes from experience.
The problem is not everyone takes away the same lessons or perspectives.
Especially when it comes to severity and possible importance or even life priority.
Some of us battle this paradox while trying to understand how we’ve made it this far without realizing how ADHD and trauma response driven we are.
Some of us including myself.
When life is moving at a million miles an hour and your childhood bears more resemblance to adulthood. When your childhood has more rules than a schoolyard, these are things quite easy to miss.
It’s been a whirlwind of coming to acceptance with the fact that my brain works a little differently.
However, it’s not until those experiences can gain perspective and be sharpened by love and family are they truly useful to our growth and development.
Wisdom, discernment, and the practice of love through pain are quite nuanced and often overlooked in the pursuit of success.
This is the lesson from an impromptu weekend, during the midst of another wave in a pandemic that has already caused so much disruption.
Impromptu only because the precautions for everyone else were already a lifestyle for this group of boys now turned into a set of unusually empathetic men. All realizing that they are being called to lead at a time when they truly are gasping to heal. Their souls pushed to the quantum option of doing both.
They realized a few things with the most important being, family is what you create, relatives are what you’re born with.
This particular article is a brief summary of the lessons learned through a variety of experiences as well as perspectives.
Choosing wisely is key for the lessons you learn through these experiences.
Choosing wisely can help you to be better or bitter.
Whether you’ve been hurt by family, friends, colleagues, or even people masquerading under the banner of religion, those experiences serve to deepen your understanding and potential in this world.
At some point, you’ll have to be aware of where each road leads, especially when it comes to healing. You especially have to be aware when you’re on a path to growth while holding on to a vision of success.
The roads that lead to healing
You may be familiar with the phrase, “All roads lead to Rome”.
The reasoning behind this statement is that all methods of doing something, eventually end up with the same result. Another way to put it is, insanity.
If every generation kept perpetuating hate and selfishness, what do you think would happen?
Exactly what we have going on around the world right now —unhealed trauma in action.
When trauma goes unhealed, no matter how hard it’s suppressed, it’ll find a way to put itself on display.
No matter how much you run, you’ll find yourself in a proverbial Jonah moment, deep in the belly of your own darkness.
Take time to heal mentally, physically, and especially spiritually or they’ll make the time for you. Take the time to discover your inner child and feed it the wisdom you wished others imparted to you. It doesn’t have to be through a grand vacation, if anything it should be something small and sustainable that you can do to feed your soul.
In the pursuit of each higher level, never forget to breathe in the gratitude of being able to achieve the level you’re on now. The pursuit of excellence requires a deep appreciation for every step of the way.
An easy way to visualize and put these things in life into perspective is to keep a gratitude list of your accomplishments. Find a road to healing that works for you and be patient with yourself in the process. The damage and trauma didn’t happen overnight, so don’t expect to magically heal instantly.
Solidify the Foundation
Fixing anything that’s broken requires a deep assessment of where it broke and what may have contributed to the destruction.
A problem within a support beam or even within the foundation can be a massive problem with collateral damage, both in buildings and people.
This is why it’s key to not take shortcuts when building the things that matter. Building anything comes at a cost and in some cases, sacrifice.
The key is to remove the unnecessary things, not the ones important to the sustainability and growth of an individual or even brand.
The sum of the willingness to sacrifice the ego, set aside instant gratification, and embrace a ton of hard, painful life experiences that lead to lessons.
It’s important to look at the resources you use to build your foundation.The habits and routines that influence your mindset from the moment you wake up until the moment you give in to the call of rest.
Wisdom that possesses great strength and value only comes from the fountain positioned in a strong foundation.
If the well has been poisoned, then it’s time to halt pouring out to others and evaluate a few things.
Once the source has been traced and restorative measures are in place and things are deemed safe, then feel free to open to gates once more.
Ultimately, you only have as strong of a building as what it’s built on.
The pain from the past, no matter how dark or confusing it may be at times, is there to facilitate your powers of discernment and activate the gems of wisdom you need in order to put your best self forward.
With a solid foundation, you can more confidently aim upward. This brings up the question of “what does aiming upward mean?”
Aiming upward isn’t about the glory moments, it’s about being equipped to push through the darkness.
Essentially not kicking others down in the process.
Aiming upward goes deep into not just where you’ve come from but where you truly want to be.
To truly be great, you have to seek the empathy that drives the wisdom and understanding.
This is where creativity, empathy, and a sprinkle of humility comes in.
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