I am the Sculptor
“I believe that one defines oneself by reinvention. To not be like your parents. To not be like your friends. To be yourself. To cut yourself out of stone.” Henry Rollins, American Rock Singer, Author, Actor
A famous sculptor was asked how he created a statue. He said he just chipped away all the stone until he released the statue. When we want to make changes in our lives, do we just chip away parts of our lives we are not satisfied with?
Well, yes, but that’s not the only way to reinvent ourselves, says Robert Sapolsky, PhD, neurobiologist, zoologist, MacArthur “genius” grant recipient and author. A professor, primate expert and fun-loving lecturer, he says that although we most accept novelty in our lives in adolescence and early adulthood, we can and should embrace “good novelty” in all the periods of our lives.
Reinvention of self is one of my favorite topics. The old saw, “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks” annoys me. It’s a put down of the human ability to not only learn new things, young or old, but discourages our need for novelty and adventure. One observation Dr. Sapolsky makes is that as we get older, we get a longer attention span. We can choose new, exciting experiences. A new experience doesn’t have to be world-shaking, just different and a little challenging. Changes can even help neuron growth – brain candy. So how do we bring good novelty into our lives?
One man joined a community wood carving group. Another bought a skateboard; his son taught him how to use it. A young woman bought a bread baking book and set out to learn how to make grain-filled country style loaves she shares with her neighbors. A 40ish woman went back to school and earned her GED. A 20 year old decided to learn how to speak Spanish. One young woman, not usually socially adept, challenged herself to attend at least one social event a week. A single mom takes her children to lunch weekly to help them learn social skills, and to have fun. What can you add to your life to expand its boundaries?
Meditation for the Day
“It’s not a case of reinventing yourself, it’s a case of trying to be adventurous,” Alex Kapranos, Lead singer & guitarist with the group Franz Ferdinand.
Action for the Day
Today, I’ll consider some ways I can add adventure to my life. Have I ever wanted to learn something new, drive somewhere different, spend a day in another town? Where is my latest life’s adventure?
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