The Voices Cartoons

How would the world be different…

7-How-would-the-World-be-Different

The Fire In The Song
by David Whyte

The mouth opens
     and fills the air
          with its vibrant shape

until the air
     and the mouth
          become one shape.

And the first word,
      your own word,
          spoken from that fire

surprises, burns,
     grieves you now
          because

you made that pact
     with a dark presence
          in your life.

He said, “If you only
     stop singing
           I’ll make you safe.”

 


And he repeated the line,
     knowing you would hear
          “I’ll make you safe”

as the comforting
     sound of a door
          closed on the fear at last,

but his darkness crept
     under your tongue
          and became the dim

cave where
     you sheltered
          and you grew

in that small place
     too frightened to remember
          the songs of the world,

its impossible notes,
     and the sweet joy
          that flew out the door

of your wild mouth
     as you spoke.

Big question for you:

What audacious life would you create for yourself if those crappy voices didn’t get between you and everything else?

Can you feel how they are holding you back?

“You’re not ready yet.”
“You still have soooo much more to learn and do before you can x, y, or z.”
“Who do you think you are?”
“You don’t feel like it.”
“You don’t have the time, the money, the energy, the talent, the ___________.”
“Tomorrow.  You can do it tomorrow!”

Life is waiting for you to ditch the voices, put on your polka dot jumpsuit, dance the funky chicken, and sing at the top of your lungs.

It’s waiting patiently for you to wake up and choose something much, much bigger for yourself.

Will you stop being so stingy and selfish and SHARE with us already?

In lovingkindness,


If you enjoyed this article, you can find a version of it in my book, Living the Zen Life: Practicing Conscious, Compassionate Awareness (Volume One).

If you enjoyed this article, you can find a version of it in my book, Living the Zen Life: Practicing Conscious, Compassionate Awareness (Volume Two).

If you enjoyed this article, you can find a version of it in my book, Living the Zen Life: Practicing Conscious, Compassionate Awareness (Volume Three).

If you enjoyed this article, you can find a version of it in my book, A Shift to Love: Zen Stories and Lessons by Alex Mill.

If you enjoyed this article, you can find a version of it in my book, Meditation and Reinventing Yourself.

If you enjoyed this article, you can find a version of it in my book, The Zen Life: Spiritual Training for Modern Times.

 


  Alex Mill trained in a Zen Buddhist monastery for nearly 14 years. He now offers his extensive experience to transform people’s lives and businesses through timeless Zen principles.

He is the creator of three powerful 30-day programs, Heart-to-Heart: Compassionate Self-Mentoring, Help Yourself to Change, and Your Practice, as well as the online Zen meditation workshop, Taming Your Inner Noise (now offered as The FREE Zen Workshop).

Alex has also written seven books on Zen awareness practice. The latest are entitled A Shift to Love: Zen Stories and Lessons (Get it for FREE here) and the 3-book series Living the Zen Life: Practicing Conscious, Compassionate Awareness.

He is a full-time Zen Life Coach who offers guidance and life-changing support to his private clients worldwide. Book a call.