You know when you have too much on your mind and
there is no clarity to be found anywhere.
You want to see clearly.
You want to feel lighter.
Instead you are weighed down by distractions and endless to-do-lists.
Everything seems to gather around you and
you don’t know where to start.
I have been in those situations many times.
What I will offer here is not a simple road-map on how to fix it.
I will not be able to guide you in the sense of showing you the path.
Your life and circumstances are known best to you.
What I can offer though, is a framework.
A metaphor to see your situation, differently and
with that, calm your mind.
You are not alone.
Always look for metaphors in Nature
During the last few weeks I have…
… taught, lectured, designed and created.
… been stressed out, drained and overwhelmed.
… rediscovered thoughts and interests I had forgotten.
… gone for a short walk in a forest during a snow storm.
… pondered the meaning and origin of the word Academy.
… realized how much clutter I have in me and around me that needs to be removed.
As you probably can deduce from the list above, I am in a situation where
I too have a cloud of stuff around me, blocking my sight.
So how do we remove clouds?
Well there are many different options and metaphors that can be told here.
I want to focus on one in particular today.
And it is not what you think.
Let us set the stage
There is a saying that can be found on cheesy motivation cards.
“Problems are like clouds, the more energy you give them, the bigger they become.”
Although that is true, it is a strategy that doesn’t work all the time.
Yes, some problems comes from overthinking, wallowing and worrying.
Feeding those emotions are rarely helpful so shifting your focus,
certainly makes these problems smaller.
But here I want you to change the setting and
instead of hovering in the atmosphere, place yourself in space.
Stars are twinkling. Infinity all around you.
A cloud of dust is gathering around you.
You attract every single piece of matter of it.
Your gravity is pulling everything towards you.
Blocking the view.
You want to get out.
You want to get rid of it all.
You don’t know where to start.
The cloud seems to follow you around.
And everyday it grows bigger.
So how do you get rid of this?
How do you start to see clearly again?
Let gravity be your guide
You want to feel lighter.
You want to light up a room.
You want to reach enlightenment.
So lets do this by letting gravity do its thing.
Don’t see the cloud as a problem.
Stop trying to push things away.
Bring everything closer and let gravity do its quiet work
Because eventually the cloud will become fuel.
That is how stars are formed.
Everything you attract is part of you.
Memories, interests, skills and dreams,
Broken promises and weird quirks, it is all you.
And if you can take all these aspects of you and
merge them together, you will become a beacon of
life, warmth and hope for others.
We are all stardust
Does this mean that I see myself as a star?
Not yet. I am still a cloud.
Some of us are clouds, some are already stars.
And that statement has nothing to do with any form of value or success.
The cloud already has all the ingredients. Everything is already there.
All it takes is a willingness to go closer, and not be afraid of the preassure.
Depending on composition and mass, there might different types of stars.
Some might burn bright and short.
Others more composed, burning slowly.
Nothing is better than the other.
With this framework comes another form of understanding.
Both about your own struggles… but maybe also about all the friction we have in the
world. It feels like things are heating up… and I am not talking about global warming.
Maybe humanity is about to light up?
Just a concluding philosophical thought.
That is a topic for another week though.
For now, just relax and let things fall into place.
Want to learn more about me,
send me a DM on LinkedIn
Until next time!
Daniel - The Talking Bridge
Ps. Music Motivation:
