posted April 26, 2010 10:20 PM         

Some notes from "The Alchemy of Opposites" by Rudolfo Scarfalloto

Doing/Being

Creativity is a blend of Doing and Being. Doing refers to the performance of a task to achieve a specific outcome. Being means that we engage in an activity just because we like it. If one is seen as better than the other, creativity goes out the window.
Doing is the vehicle for expression of Being. Likewise, Being includes a deep appreciation for what we are Doing.
Now the question is: If our being and doing are disconnected (which means that we don't particularly like what we're doing), what can we "do" about it? Recall, emotional pleasure results from expressing the genuine self, and pain is the result of suppressing the genuine self. Telling the truth feels good because in that moment, who we "be" is freely expressed. Thus, in the moment of honestly saying, "I don't like what I'm doing," the being and the doing are reunited, and creativity starts to flow.

Self-Worth
There are two way of experiencing self-worth. One way is by Doing; it must be earned. The other way is by Being; it cannot be earned.
...
Likewise, if we devalue the desire to know that we are loved regardless of what we do, nothing we do will be truly satisfying and no amount of external acknowledgment will fill our cup; we simply won't let it in.
The merging of Doing and Being means that we recognize and give equal value to our desire to do, and our desire to know that we are loved regardless of what we do.

This leads to the duality of The Goal/The Path

So Lyra, do you have some goals, old or new?
What have you always wanted to do if you could? You've got to dream it first.