When I was kid I believed in all sorts of stuff.
Santa Claus.
The Easter Bunny.
Democrats and Republicans actually accomplished things together…
Kids believe the darnedest things! One belief that stuck with me for a while was an old cliche, “love conquers all”. As I grew up I learned that that was ridiculous! There’s no way that one is true!
Or is it?
When I first read Oprah Winfrey’s book, The Path Made Clear. She talked about starting her girl’s school, people doubting her, and the obstacles she was facing at that time. Oprah said, “You cannot defeat someone who knows who they are truly are.”
This kinda turned me off. That’s easy for Oprah, the celebrity billionaire to say. That’d be like Stephen Curry saying anyone can win a NBA 3 point shooting contest if you just put your mind into it.
Or how you can run an ultra-marathon race with positive thinking. It’s just not gonna happen.
I reread Love Yourself Like Your Life Depends On It by Kamal Ravikant. Great book by the way… I think it should be required reading for human beings—especially if you’re a creative!
Anyhoow, the book is about how Kamal was depressed and suicidal and cleaned up his life with loving himself. It seemed impossible. It’s too simple to work for me.
Until, I tried it.
And like Kamal said in his book, within a few days I noticed things started to change. I felt better but synchronicity started bringing happiness to my doorstep like singing animals in Disney’s The Little Mermaid.
So, back to Oprah’s quote. “You cannot defeat someone who knows who they are truly are.”
I thought, Oprah didn’t say ‘herself’, she said “someone”. What if Oprah was talking about someone who TRULY loves themselves? I mean, the spiritual movement has talked about unconditional love for millennia.
But what if you TRULY loved your drawing even if it wasn’t perfect?
What if you TRULY loved your life even if it’s not going how you thought it should?
What if you TRULY loved YOURSELF even if you didn’t have wash board abs or the lover you wanted?
I have two degrees from a university and buutt-loads of business and practical experience! But I gotta tell you, little 8 year old Adam knew better than me in so many ways…
And so does Oprah…
And so Kamal…
He said, “Fighting fear doesn’t work. It just drags us in closer. One has to focus on what is real. On the truth. When in darkness, don’t fight it. You can’t win. Just find the nearest switch, turn on the light.”
That light for me was understanding I didn’t love myself consistently. I still struggle with this sometimes but i’m getting better.
And I got news for you. When you love yourself and you have a positive vision for you want, you my friend, are unstoppable.
Adam