There’s nothing like a crossroads to force you to think more deeply about what exactly it is that you want.
All too easily, you could fall into the trap of simple aphorisms as a means to solve life’s complex problems. Out of sight, out of mind. Go big or go home.
I increasingly encounter the need to be more intentional, more discerning of the nuances of decision making. Life is far too complex for these one-liners to serve as fail-safe guides, and looking for an easy way out only adds to the myth of clean and bright.
Clean and bright happiness.
Clean and bright relationships.
Clean and bright paths to self-satisfaction or achievement.
Whatever your purpose might be, or your level of commitment to pursuing it, it cannot be contained in the shallow pools constructed for only clean and bright. You cannot have a relationship that revels in the good times but denies vulnerability. You cannot focus on strengths alone and ignore your shadow side. You cannot be a leader if you avoid difficult or uncomfortable conversations.
The degree to which you can experience joy and lasting fulfillment is directly proportional to the degree to which you hold space—willingly—for darkness and questions.
Sometimes this means destroying what exists or what you’ve built. Sometimes, you need to pick the “least bad” of several undesirable alternatives. But either way, you’ll need to move through in order to create something better, stronger, more deeply meaningful.
The myth of clean and bright is just that, a myth. The shadows will never leave; it only matters if you’re willing to reach for the power beyond them, the power that was always meant to be yours.
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