I hope you are all doing well and thank you for reading.
This week has been difficult for everyone on the TTO team including myself. Either it’s school, personal family issues, or just feeling burnt out, most of my team members have expressed a difficult time writing.
I’ve had my own struggles this week too. I wrote a number of half-articles which still sit in my drafts. One is about being a glutton for punishment and the other is about the medical issues my grandmother in-law is experiencing. Both will probably never be released because how is someone else supposed to enjoy reading them when I don’t enjoy reading them?
I think we can summarize to say we are burnt-out. I know I am. I’m still writing though! See mom look at me, I’m writing!
This week, I wanted to tell you feeling this way is normal and is not a negative thing to “fix.” It’s who you are; who we all are.
A teacher of mine calls that devil on his shoulder his “underminer” as it tries to undermine all of his positive, creative, feelings. Struggling with anxiety, I have a loud underminer. Sometimes he might be speaking softly or others he is speaking with a megaphone. So how do we fight this emotion?
By accepting that you are the underminer and you are the positive emotions as well. You can be destructive and creative at the same time. No one can always be positive just as no one can always be negative.
The yin yang teaches us that there is yin inside of yang and yang inside of yin. One cannot be without the other. They simply take turns and slowly give way to the other.
During my time as a Christian, one of my favorite passages from the Bible was Ecclesiastes 3 (NIV):
“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.”
Written by King Solomon, a thinker and seeker of answers, it’s amazing someone with such a different upbringing than Laozi would come to a similar conclusion while separated by 500 years, thousands of miles, and a completely different culture.
It’s almost as if there’s a natural order to the universe and if you listen hard enough, you might be able to hear it.
So, dear friends, as you continue on your journey this weekend, if you're struggling, please remember you’re not alone. The world can tear us down or build us up. You can be sad or happy, but you are still you. And you were created exactly how you needed to be.
See you all next week.
Want to see our top 5 books to start your philosophical and spritual journey? Take look below!
5 Books to Begin your Philosophical & Spiritual Journey
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