Unapologetically You

A few months ago, I took up archery. I’d been wanting to try my hand at the sport since I was in middle school, but the timing never worked out. Work got in the way, school got in the way, life got in the way. But finally, everything fell serendipitously into place: a beginner’s lesson; a teacher who was willing to work with me and a friend for free; a correspondence that led to a group of skilled traditional archers who have helped me improve significantly in a short period of time.

Archery has become an addiction, a way for me to meditate and connect with myself. I breathe. My whole body engages. My mind sharpens. The world behind me fades slightly as I focus.

Somewhere, in that stillness, I started to find pieces of myself. I discovered my desires and how they fuel me.  Yes, Danielle LaPorte and her brilliant The Desire Map have also played a role in this awakening. But it was archery that allowed me to finally own one of my core desires: to feel powerful.

Power has always scared me, because somewhere in my mind, I equated it with control and manipulation, with taking advantage of others. But the power I have discovered comes from full presence, from stillness, from openness, from compassion.

Somehow, stepping into that desire made everything else I wanted clear. It has been changing the way I operate in this world. I’ve stopped obsessing about what others think about me and started celebrating the wild, unique individual I am.

What are your core desires? Are you owning them yet?