Today is November 21 and the Navigate the Chaos question to consider is “How often do you trade in your reality for a role?”
People who navigate the chaos know that the only true freedom one can experience is to be what you really are.
Doing so, however, requires one to have an honest conversation about reality.
Our reality is based upon a variety of internal and external factors. For example, internal factors are how we feel, our current family situation, and our emotional health. External factors might be our job, living situation, or even the weather.
In other words, many different dynamics are involved with identifying our reality. But doing so can and should be done on a regular basis. Defining your reality helps you better understand the situation. This understanding can lead to a more effective decisions.
For example, if you are grieving the death of a spouse, friend or coworker it is recommended that you delay any major life decisions. The death of someone close to us is one of the most stressful events a person can experience, according to the Holmes-Rahe Life Stress Inventory. Given the emotional and physical toll a death can have on survivors, it is best to wait six months or more before making a decision. Your sense of reality is too stressed for you to see clearly.
Once you have a clear sense of reality, you can then navigate the chaos and asses whether you are exchanging reality for a role.
American singer, songwriter and poet Jim Morrison noted "The most important kind of freedom is to be what you really are. You trade in your reality for a role. You trade in your sense for an act. You give up your ability to feel, and in exchange, put on a mask. There can't be any large-scale revolution until there's a personal revolution, on an individual level. It's got to happen inside first."
Due to his poetic lyrics, distinctive voice, wild personality, performances, and the dramatic circumstances surrounding his life and early death, Morrison is regarded by both music critics and fans as one of the most iconic and influential frontmen in rock music history. He achieved icon status despite his father’s disapproval of his son’s career choice.
One day, an acquaintance brought over a record thought to have Jim on the cover. The record was the Doors' self-titled debut. Upon hearing the record, Morrison's father wrote him a letter telling him "to give up any idea of singing or any connection with a music group because of what I consider to be a complete lack of talent in this direction."
In a letter to the Florida Probation and Parole Commission District Office dated October 2, 1970, Morrison's father acknowledged the breakdown in family communications as the result of an argument over his assessment of his son's musical talents. He said he could not blame his son for being reluctant to initiate contact and that he was proud of him nonetheless.
How often do you trade in your reality for a role others feel as though you should play?