More Beautiful
(December 8, 2009)
It is said that when you are too wonderful, others will take advantage of you, and so you ought to stop being too wonderful. I disagree. If you are too wonderful, never lower yourself because others are ordinary. And if they take advantage of you- that is not because you are too wonderful- that is because they are too ordinary.
I have learned that the more I give of myself, the more that I receive. Now, this is something which is often stated and quoted and re-quoted. The more you give, the more you receive. But when things are always said over and over again, they become stagnant and boring.
What I have learned is neither stagnant nor boring.
You see, we are taught to be afraid to give too much. People around us will tell us that we are short-changing ourselves by putting too much heart into something (or someone) by caring too much, by teaching too much, by loving too much, by being there too much, feeling too much, thinking too much, giving too much. And so, we are often persuaded and taught into believing that we should be afraid of not getting back enough in return.
But see…this is what I have experienced…when we give of ourselves too much… we get of our own selves- also- too much in return. We shouldn’t look to the receivers for what we should get in return but we should look within ourselves for what we can give to ourselves in return!
Look here…we do not short-change ourselves when we don’t receive from another the equivalent of what we have given. The reality is that we short-change ourselves when we fail to see ourselves as sufficient enough to be able to give and to grow. To be able to be the one planting the seeds and at the same time be the seed itself that is planted, that sprouts, that grows and blooms and blossoms and then glories in the beauty of the sunlight!
We short-change ourselves when we limit ourselves and say “Wait. I have given enough. Now if I do not receive the same, I will wilt and die.” When in fact, we can be so much more than that! We can be both the hand that plants the seed and the beautiful blossoming tree when the seed is fully-grown, including all those stages in between!
We are so much more than what we think we are! And the more that we give of ourselves, the more seeds that we plant, the more that we ourselves grow! And though others are benefited, it is us who is the growing seed, it is your own self that is the flowering tree under the sun!
So each time we give a piece of ourselves to someone, it is like we have planted a seed in that person’s garden. And sometimes, some people are just so dull and lifeless that you have to keep on planting seeds over and over again! And regardless of whether or not they are wonderful enough to plant seeds in your garden as well- one thing is for sure- your seeds are planted, and you yourself will grow!
If in the end you must walk away from this person, you have no reasons to neither regret nor despair. Because in the end, you will be more beautiful.
© 2009 C. JoyBell C. All rights reserved.
