Finding gratitude in curiosity

“When you wait long enough in life, something will happen that will undo your certainty”_ Elizabeth Gilbert.

One of my mentors once told me, “even if it may feel like it, we never go around in circles”. I then realized that we are all on the road to somewhere whether we are clear or not about the direction we are heading. Things will always happen along the way, regardless of the clarity level of our “end game”.

We have all seen various versions of pictures like this illustrating what achieving success really looks like vs. what we wish or thought it would be.

In her talk “Flight of the Hummingbird – The curiosity driven life”, Elizabeth Gilbert shares about what fuels someone to take action, discover and connect the different parts of themselves along the way. She points out that it is OK if we are not born with that ONE thing meant for us to do and that we do not need to be “passionate” to succeed. As a matter of fact, a lot of people can identify with that.

She also adds that some people are “Jackhammers” like her, whom already knows their calling since kindergarten, while others are hummingbirds. The hummingbirds go from flower to flower and create an incredibly rich and complex life. They cross pollinate the world and always are open to the new and fresh. As a result, everything starts to make more sense as their curiosity never cease to fuel them. Curiosity is basically the gift that keeps on giving.

Now whether you are a Jackhammer or a Hummingbird, one is not better than the other. I just know that in my case, I found myself in tears at the end of her talk because I have lived her words. I have made myself wrong because I did not have ONE passion and was interested in too many things. Getting my friends and family dizzy by how quick I move or can shift course is not foreign to me. I have often been way too concerned about it all and the fact that I know not just in my head but in my heart that it is ok to be this way, I feel much calmer and loving towards myself.

We get confused, seek answers and then have those moments where things get clear again. We then ground ourselves in our newfound beliefs and just when we start getting comfortable in them, “boom” something comes along that challenges our thoughts.

C’est la vie! And I am grateful for it. Without being curious about so many things, I would not see the way I see, be the way I am being nor understand people the way I do.

My grandmother passed on September 5^th, exactly one week after Dr.Wayne Dyer. She had been battling with Alzheimer for a few years, but still remembered me everytime I went to visit her. I was blessed to see her in moments where she was smiling and still being curious about life in her 90+ years on this earth.

The one message my “mamie” left me after she went among the stars was about my legacy. This was the pivotal moment where my path became crystal clear again.

Sometimes, especially in a hummingbird’s life, when you wait long enough, something will come and REdo your certainty.

With gratitude, xo

__________________________________________________________________

Self-Expression Manifesto of the week: Even if it may feel like it, we never go around in circles.

Join the conversation: What “amazingness” curiosity brought to your life that you are grateful for today?