trying vs. allowing

in connection with a project my blogger friend karen is working on, i was inspired to think about these two concepts:

trying.

allowing.

what might they mean?

of course words have such complex meanings, and how we experience them individually may vary immensely from person to person.

“trying” – the pleasant part of that, to me, is that it’s open ended, that it points to a beginner’s mind. the not-so-pleasant part, which weighs a little heavier, makes me think of clenched teeth and ‘trying but failing’.

“allowing” – allowing is so sweet. it’s expansive. it’s opening one’s arms and saying, come in, come in! it has no negative connotations for me, although i can see how it might for others (‘allowing myself to be a doormat’ comes up as a possibility).

so i can make the choice now and combine all the good stuff: when i start something new or resume something old, i can

  • be open ended
  • have a beginner’s mind
  • be sweet
  • be expansive
  • open my arms
  • say, “come in, come in!”

isabella mori
counselling in vancouver

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