Personal transformation & thriving
Christmas is over for many (for religious/spiritual seekers, Christmas is now put into action).
New Year’s Resolutions have begun (or ended for some).
An observation: most Christmas movies are about some kind of personal transformation that takes place. Take even a comedy christmas movie like “Elf”, starring Will Ferrell. It involves the personal transformation of a few characters:
Buddy the Elf realizing that he’s a human and with a task to spread the Christmas spirit.
Buddy’s girlfriend, Jovie, realizing that true love does exist
Buddy’s dad, the proto-typical business man/scrooge of the story who needs to figure out how to be a loving, present father
And New York City, which needs to recapture the holiday spirit to help Santa pass out gifts
My faith tradition is all about personal and collective transformation. For centuries, philosophers, religious leaders, politicians, and even business leaders have wondered about transformation. Writers have wondered about the ache in our soul for something different, feeling that we are made for more. I believe this impulse transcends religion and time.
“It is a very human longing; to want purpose, meaning, and transformation. To be more than we are. ”
We go from Christmas, where movies and literature remind us of the true spirit of the season, to New Year’s Resolutions, where we are encouraged to think about what goals we’d like to accomplish in the new year.
To be more than we currently are.
For now, I want to offer three practices that have helped me become more of who I long to be.
Reading. Don’t knock it just yet. We need reference points, different perspectives, and insights for life. Others have gone before us and we can learn from them. The practice of reading books, essays, or listening to podcasts has helped me grow.
An ongoing, working philosophy of life. For me, it’s my faith tradition and an integration of the social sciences (therapy, psychology) as well as classic philosophy. This has offered a starting point to think about morality, justice, truth, beauty, and goodness. And love. Can’t forget love.
Community. This is one that seems to be the hardest these days. We have a need to process our thoughts, build trust, learn to love and be loved by others. We grow in a body of community, friendships, and relationships. Yet we’re also hurt and disappointed in them. It’s a catch 22 because it’s also in community that we grow and are transformed.
So what truly helps us to be transformed? To be more than we currently are? What helps us thrive? These are the questions I’m asking myself this year and that I’ll be writing about.