Okay, you may or may not have thought that some of the things we talked about in prior blogs were important at all. But they were worth mentioning because we seldom think about them and I just wanted to mention them because we may be going through some things that may be more affected by any of these factors than we think. What seeds planted by them could have been present in our lives than we think–right now. The ones I’m talking about in this blog you will discount, thinking ‘well, I can’t do much about that–the environment, or, a lack of opportunity, and I’m stuck with where I am. I might even attribute it to being cursed with bad luck.
But a few factors are very much in our control; we may just want to realize or acknowledge that they are. So, what are they? While they may or may not seem obvious,
First, our very own talents (most often unrecognized),
Second, our temperament (often ignored or, sometimes, denied) can affect each outcome, and
Third, our mental attitude (conscious or unconscious) can influence our success or failure, elements like our beliefs and our spirituality.
Can these all be connected without seeming to be? Or are they ‘just a mass of random topics, mere unconnected ‘polka dots? ’Psychologists may give many reasons why we may think and function, but rest assured, each and every one of these components have more impact than we might think—the degree of which will be unique to each of us, but all will, to varying degrees.
Environment
Okay, the point is, this blog is about you … and I just mentioned environment, which I’ll talk about first because it seems we can’t do much about it—if it’s too hot, we can turn up the air conditioning or turn on a fan. But global environment we have far less control over, other than deciding where we choose to put down roots. We can vote for legislation that wants to monitor and help improve the climate and environment, we can contribute to charitable causes that support these causes.
On a personal level, we may decide we don’t want to stay where we are, and if so, we can move somewhere else. How else can environment affect us? Environment, however, can affect so much more.
I grew up in what is locally called ;the cancer corridor’, reason being there were so many chemical plants in the area and, in fact, dotted all along the Mississippi River from Baton Rouge south. Through the years we have become much more aware of the challenges of chemical pollution and damage to the atmosphere. Water flowing south from Baton Rouge was infused with the waste from those plants, yet it was also the primary source of water for New Orleans and south Louisiana residents. Family members and I were the unfortunate beneficiaries of cancer…and, while one-third of the population of the U.S. will get cancer apparently regardless of what toxins may surround them, a much higher percentage occurs in ‘the Corridor and similar areas.’ Hmmmm…can’t write it off necessarily to the environment there, but the fact remains, it does affect the environment. And pollutants and natural factors exist across the country, so it is naïve to think these things don’t affect us or take their toll.
Other environmental factors, such as our socioeconomical background, schools, and cultural factors also take their place in influencing who we become.
Often the environmental factors change as we grow up, change neighborhoods, cities, or perhaps even countries. And each of these changes strongly affects who we become. Again, this is yet another we actually can, over time, change to better meet our needs and goals.
Talents
I’ll bet that you only know about a few of your talents…that you have No Clue of how many you have that you’ve never had a chance to even think about. You probably heard ‘ well, good luck if you think you can survive as an actor, artist, sculptor, composer, musician, singer, comic, magician, etc. I’ll also bet that many of the people in each of these fields that you may you know of heard the same thing! What made them succeed?
It likely was one person…one who was willing to believe in them, in their talents and were willing to offer mentorship or moral support. Talents you have never given yourself a chance to explore Are There. Don’t deny yourself the opportunity to explore and discover. I wish I could tell you how many students are terrified of taking Statistics, or even baseline Mathematics courses, but, sadly, most universities require at least one of these courses to graduate. I know that fear—I saw it in my students, and I also knew that I once had that same fear too. It was only when I realized I might not graduate, or later, that I not complete my doctorate, before I sought help. There really was no easy way to get around it, I had to do it. So, what ended up helping me? Others.
Most of us are clueless as to how many talents we have, largely because we may have never been encouraged to explore what some of them were, either because we couldn’t afford to, or we just didn’t believe we were talented enough to try. Way too many of us sell ourselves short—and it make take some crisis or ‘aha’ moment to make us wake up and try. Start paying a little more attention to what you do…and do not notice, what you hear, what you understand, what you keep wishing you could do. You ARE worthy, and you deserve the chance to fulfill your earthly purpose. So, try something different, get outside your comfort zone a little and you may discover that you are a lot more talented than you thought! No tie for hesitation—we only have one life to live, at least as far as we know for now.
Opportunities and Luck
There’s an old saying: The harder I work, the luckier I get.’ And here’s another one: ‘If you don’t go out on a limb, you’ll never get the fruit.’ Know these are kind of platitudes, but there is truth to both. Too often we commiserate because it seems we may not get a break. But if we continue and persist, 90% of the time we will have a desirable outcome. It may not be exactly what you wanted or expected, but often it can be a happy surprise—all your work paid off, but it just might have been a surprise in how it evolved. Work toward your goals and be open to serendipity. Sometimes the opportunity comes in what seems to be a dark time—but the light at the end of a tunnel may shine through– that is not a train!
Artifacts We Hold Dear
Most of us don’t like to admit it, but we probably have something we view as a ‘good luck’ charm. Do you?
What do we think of as lucky? It could be a team or logo t-shirt, a hoody, an award or a graduation pin. It could even be a piece of furniture that makes you feel kind of nostalgic, so you keep it around. These are described as artifacts, or sometimes as cultural fetishes. Cambridge University Dictionary describes them as objects, tools, adornments, made in the past.
Part of understanding these artifacts is remembering back to who gave them to you, or, if self-purchased, what they simply mean to you and how they make you feel. Chances are that there is usually some kind of history to the object. Perhaps it would be worth checking out what that is; it could be surprising to discover some ties to you that were unexpected. If not, maybe you just need to think about why you keep it—We humans seem to have a need to hold on to something that matters to us. I keep ‘a St. Joseph bean’, a big dried red bean, which are given out every year at St. Joseph Day alters—huge alters stacked with many casseroles, cakes, and cookies, offered every year in homage to the saint credited with answering their prayers. I don’t know how the custom started, but it’s a huge celebration of sharing and gratitude yearly in New Orleans. Two other ‘charms’ of mine are my tiny little crystal pig, Penelope’, that I carried with me to every important event, like my Master’s and Doctoral defenses. Last, I wear a ring that you will always see on me—my bumble bee. Why? Because the bumble bee supposedly is too fat to fly—yet it does! It always reminds me that I can do it—whatever it takes.
Spirit of Zen…
And I’ll just spend a minute on the subject of Zen. What is Zen? Zen is a path of direct experience, immersion in observation and embracement of life and realization, ultimately of spiritual reality. Zen is not a religion, but a way of life that awakens our true nature and compassion. On some level we all humans hope for it, and we all need it.
All the factors I’ve talked about in the last few blogs may not have seemed very relevant–but trust me, if you start paying more attention to how these factors could be playing into your life, even a little, then I’ve done my job. We all need to pay attention a little more, even five minutes daily, and take more agency. If we do, then we’ll begin to rediscover a strange new kind of calmness, even if it’s temporary. And the more we allow ourselves to experience it, the more our spirit will draw it to us.
