Wisdom. Isn’t wisdom a beautiful word? I find it so lovely. So clear and kind, so graceful and intelligent. When used with intention, words can be so powerful; when used without thought, they can be destructive.
I heard Danielle Laporte in an interview speaking of wisdom. She said, “Wisdom is built, not bestowed.” I have understood that for a long time, but I LOVE the way she worded it.
You are not gifted something at birth that makes you wiser. You aren’t granted wisdom because of who your parents are or the color of your skin or where you were born. Wisdom is earned. It is gathered from hardship. It is cultivated through really hard life lessons, the awful times that bring us to our knees. When we find ourselves praying to our own salvation or don’t know if we will make it through. Wisdom can be found there. It is in heartache, in the loss of our loved ones, in desperate financial times, in the gaping unknown of our futures. It is in understanding you don’t have to have all the answers and in being open to being humbled by your own actions.
Wisdom is the difference between blaming others for your experiences and owning your own life. Owning your own reality and understanding that you are the maker of your story. No one else. You are the one who decides how you will learn your lessons. You are the one who decides when you wake up to your struggles. You decide to use your wisdom’s help with any challenges that walk in front of you on any given day. Wisdom is what picks you up by the shirt and says, “You’ve got this.” Wisdom reminds us to keep our judgments to ourselves, or — better yet — to turn judgments to compassion and kindness.
Your life is filled with opportunities to grow and become gentler with yourself and others. Life is digested rather than consumed. Hard times ask us to look inside and slow down. Take deep breaths. Remember: you are not alone, even though you are alone in this moment and this story.
Life is a gift filled with opportunities to grow your wisdom. Are you celebrating this? Holding your wisdom close and swimming in gratitude for all of the things you get to learn and the ways you can be of service to others with this knowledge? Or are you looking all of your opportunities as crappy offerings from the universe?
Choose your perspective wisely.
with love
Noelle