Insist on Yourself; Never Imitate

Insist on yourself; never imitate.  Your own gift you can present every moment with the cumulative force of a whole life's cultivation; but of the adopted talent of another you have only an extemporaneous half possession...Do that which is assigned to you, and you cannot hope to much or dare too much.   ~Ralph Waldo Emerson, Self Reliance




We've all had moments when we wished we were someone else, or "if only I could do what they do, everything would be perfect."  What we don't realize at those moments is we are all here for a reason.  That reason may not present itself for years or it all flows in when you least expect it.

For years I did all that was expected of me.  I was trying to live the vision others had for me.  I never took chances and it always felt so laborious.  Like running in mud.  When I began to practice Yoga it took time for the body to adjust and the mind to follow. Time for the cobwebs to brushed aside.  Slowly as I began to practice more, I also felt more alive, more open for joy and I realized I was moving thru to a new path.

I began to teach and the joy a student has when they have that 'AHA' moment continues to drive me to read more, experiment with postures and how they effect the physical and emotional body and I am continually reminded that the more I learn the less I know.  But it continues to amaze me how much easier the journey is when you have a full heart and look forward to serving.  Not at all like running through mud but floating down a river.

Insist on yourself; never imitate...and you cannot hope to much or dare to much.