"Writers are taught to 'write what you know about.' The same advice applies to the quest for the power of the soul: be good at what you're good at. Many of us spend time and energy trying to be something that we are not. But this is a move against the soul, because individuality rises out of the soul as water rises out of the depths of the earth. We are who we are because of a special mix that makes up our soul."
-Care of the Soul, Thomas Moore
I love this quote. Don't you?
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5 comments:
i do love it. thank you for sharing it : )
I couldn't agree more! Especially at a time when I'm trying to stop trying.
A special Mix. What a wonderful quote. I purchased "Care of the Soul" about 15 years ago in Northampton and refer to it often. Thomas Moore is insightful, eloquent.
This quote is also consistent with business management principles. During performance reviews, one of the common procedures is to focus improving weaknesses. However, the research and writing ("First, Break All The Rules") by Marcus Buckingham show this conventional wisdom is wrong and a misallocated use of resources. Instead, individuals and managers need to promote development in areas people are already good at, make their strengths even stronger, turn strong performers into superstars, "feed the beast".
Yes, a certain amount of well-roundedness is a positive trait. But as long as weaknesses aren't hindering a person's strong traits from shining through, spend your time practicing what you do best. Plus, it's a lot more fun to practice things you are already good at and enjoy, and you feel the alignment of energy when you do.
Glad you like this one Elena, Jen, & Anon., and thank you for the input Michael. A friend of mine who's a surgeon once put it thus: "Never get good at what you don't want to do!" I loved hearing that at the time and found it very liberating.
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