Tryin' So Hard...

“I’m tryin’ so hard,
To stop tryin’ so hard.
Just let You be who You are,
Lord, who You are in me.”
– The Altar and The Door - Casting Crowns

Have you ever felt this way? That the harder and more that you try, the further back you seem to be. That whenever you work your hardest, you seem to slide the most.

I’ve been told many times, that when I try to be funny, I suck and come off as, well, a jackass usually. :-) But when I’m not thinking about it, when I’m NOT trying, those are the times that I can get people rolling on the floor.

So why is it that the harder we try to BE something, the worse we seem to do at it?

I think it’s because when we TRY too hard to be something, it’s not natural. It doesn’t flow out from us. We try to force what we think we want and in forcing it, run it straight into the ground. Nature doesn’t usually like to be forced. Our nature is no different. We can make changes and grow and all that, but it’s a process that takes time. Rushing it, or forcing the result we want, simply ends with us looking like jackasses.

So what’s the point today, really? That’s what you’re all thinking right about now isn’t it? :-)

The point is this…

Can you let go in order to become the person that you were made to be?

Before you give me that knee-jerk answer of “Yes, of course!”, I want you to think about it for a bit. I’m not talking about giving up sweets, or watching less TV, or any of that inane bullshit that we like to make our New Year’s Resolutions. I’m talking about honestly being able to give up yourself and what you believe and think you know, completely, in order to see what the REAL you that’s buried inside is like?

Now, that’s a bit different of a question, isn’t it? See, it’s the end of another year. Or rather, the beginning of a brand new one. We’ve talked before about our masks, and our core, and how to really be better people working together to make a better world. Honestly, you could do all the work, build and create and become the best person you could, but if you don’t let go first, you’re simply building on top of what you’ve had before.

The end of a year is always a time of renewal and recommitment. We close out the year and look to the next with joy and hope and celebration. Let’s look to this new year as a time to start our own “becomings” on fresh ground. Let go of what you’re holding on to. Spend the last part of this year, NOT trying to be anything. Just be and see what you find of yourself. Listen to your heart and your spirit and JUST BE.

Let go of who you THINK you are and take a look inside to find out who you REALLY are. When your heart, spirit, and core are in alignment, then you can truly become the best person you can possibly be. And in order for everything to sync up, you have to let go of all the garbage you’ve been holding on to, all the bad images you have of yourself, all the negative things that you’ve been told about you. Wipe it all away, let it all go, and build on the solid ground of your heart and spirit.

Any idiot can run around reading a millions books on being a better person. Putting layer upon layer upon layer, right over the problems that have always been there. Let’s clean house before building a better you.

Remember the old saying, “Work smarter, not harder.”

See you at the top.