Staying authentic in your work and life. There are moments in life, often unexpected, when clarity strikes like a lightning bolt. A flash of inspiration, a vision that commands our full attention. Ideas come to us in the dream state or enter our conscious mind with such vibrancy that we have to sit up and pay attention.
Staying authentic in your work and life
These are the sparks of something deeper, something more authentic. They arrive in dreams, or while walking in nature, or during the stillness between thoughts. In those sacred moments they are perfect and already feel whole. We feel content, only concerning ourselves with the purity of the idea, it is already perfect in its concept without us needing to add anything from the trappings of our own illusion.
Our conscious mind is shaped by years of experiences, a variety of belief systems and daily practices. We overthink, believing that the conscious mind must fully grasp and understand every aspect of every idea, life itself, the universe and everything. When we encounter the initial spark of an idea, it’s purity and brilliance make us gasp in wonder and the cogs of our mind begin to turn. Due to the nature of our consciousness these wonderful ideas often travels innocently through many different filters, down many rabbit holes of thinking, that the shine of that inspiration is often tarnished by the paradigms of our traumatised belief system.
How do we stay connected to the purity of intention?
This is the challenge of the creative mind, the philosopher, the human being trying to live authentically in a complicated world of delusion and misbelief. How do we hold true to the core of an idea when everything in our inner and outer worlds tries to reshape it?
The Artist’s Perspective
Artists understand this intimately. From the first brushstroke, the first note of a melody, the first line of a poem. These are moments that carry an essence of purity that is hard to maintain throughout the creative process. The temptation to ‘improve’ the work, to make sure it meets expectations and to listen to the critic’s voice can pull us away from that raw initial spark.
The most moving works of art are those which feel unapologetic to any outside influence. They carry an authenticity, a curiosity and a resonance that speaks directly to the soul. That’s because they were created from pure intention, untamed by the idea of consequence or fear of judgement by the consciousness of the artist.
The Spiritual Perspective
From the viewpoint of a spiritual being. We are constantly searching for purity and alignment with the source, finding a connection to the soul. When our intentions are pure and rooted in love, curiosity and a desire to serve they become powerful conduits for transformation.
When the ego comes into play, we experience a feeling of fear, loss and failure. We seek enlightenment and clarity from others, missing the point that it is within ourselves, we lose trust. Purity is found in the presence of now, it is in constant change, without any fixed belief or desire for spiritual perfection.
The Human Perspective
Staying authentic in your work and life. It’s easy to say, just stay true to the idea and don’t mess around with it. But we fear consequences from our contemporises and peers because they are real in our world. Also the loss of money, time and relationships. We are trained to be the sheep not stepping out of line or making our own choices if they are too bold or confronting.
Trust that the idea came up in purity, it carries its own intelligence. Our job is to care for it, nurture it and allow it to grow. Certainly not to perfect it in the image or ideas of others and ourselves with outdated belief systems.
Holding Space
Holding space for an idea is like holding space for a person or group. We don’t need to fix it, change it or fully understand it. We simply need to honour it. This means creating time to nurture the idea without rushing in to offer solutions, make it easy to understand or give our advice. It means simply observing and staying present with the authenticity of the moment.
Next time a moment of clarity arrives, just let it breathe. Don’t rush, treat it with love and hold it within the purity of its own intention.
An Open Perspective
The purity of intention is not a path easily followed, but it can offer wonderful and unexpected rewards. It calls for a more intuitive relationship with ourselves and the world around us. It asks us not to get caught up in the consequence, thought or judgement, none of these not ours. Sometimes we pick up on the feelings and thoughts of how the brightness of purity affects others. It’s important to stay true to the idea, to the space we hold in honour of our inspiration.
When we live by pure intention, we begin to trust the intelligence behind our inspiration. You find the space of staying authentic in your work and life.
Our world doesn’t need more polished, or to follow proven methods or statistically viable solutions. They don’t work anymore! It needs individuals brave enough to honour their ideas and their truth in its rawest form. To live this way is to walk a path of authenticity, to be rooted in our own inner knowing and love. To take a step closer to realising what is truly possible in this reality when pure love is collaboration with Mother Earth.
Written by Richard Stuttle