Balance & Simplicity

Each week, I make a goal for myself and write it at the top of my weekly planner. As I flip through previous weeks, I notice that one goal appears most frequently: embrace ease. Time and time again, I bemoan the complexity of just about all elements of my life − nothing feels easy. I recently wrote in my journal, “Nothing is sticking. Lots of time, lots of ideas, but nothing glistens with passion.” I yearn for the days when things just clicked and came together effortlessly, with a sense of magic. Of course, I forget all of the work and the not-so-good ideas that came before The One that clicked; rarely does everything magically align without some work behind it.

“Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working.” –Pablo Picasso

Picasso’s words never really resonated with me before, but now, I get it. Inspiration is more likely to arrive and take root if you are holding a safe container for it to enter your life. You need to cultivate a life and an environment that thrives with inspiration.

The relationship between struggle and ease is a bit like thrift store or yard sale shopping. You hunt for the treasure among piles of ordinary junk. The process is in no way glamorous or easy (e.g., waking up at 5:00 a.m., searching for yard sales, and sifting through junk in the heat), but for many, the ease and excitement associated with the ultimate find overpower the struggle. People love this practice of treasure hunting and become regular thrifters, because the beauty of the find is magnified after the work is done. Writers, artists, and other creative professionals face a similar process. One must put in the leg work, sift through ordinary words, and allow time to pass in order to reach the treasure. Rarely do you find treasure immediately upon beginning a piece of work. To recognize and fully appreciate the result, you must know and appreciate the struggle as well.

Rather than compartmentalize struggle and ease, I love the idea of these two states coexisting. It’s liberating to relish the ease of success within the struggle and the struggle within the ease. This perspective produces a much greater sense of pride and self-worth. You value much more than just the sparkling treasures. Everything counts: the struggle as well as the ease.

I’ve been fighting against the struggle, focusing on its negative impact and wishing for a quick and easy escape. But I’m realizing that, within struggle, there is ease; moments of bliss emerge for us to embrace. It’s easy to miss them or fail to recollect them when you’re in the midst of a storm. But they are there. Similarly, amidst ease, there is struggle, but we typically don’t remember that—and maybe that’s a good thing for a while. But without recognizing its presence, we may become naive to the path ahead of us.

Within the natural rhythm of struggle and ease, recognizing and appreciating this rhythm empowers you to keep moving forward.

image: pinterest via sacramento street via apartment 34

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