removing the inauthentic
“I believe each of us possesses, inside ourselves,” Bagger Vance began, “one true Authentic Swing that is ours alone. It is folly to try to teach us another, or mold us to some ideal version of the perfect swing. Each player possesses only that one swing that he was born with, that swing which existed within him before he ever picked up a club. Like the statue of David, our Authentic Swing already exists, concealed within the stone, so to speak.”
Keeler broke in with excitement. “Then our task as golfers, according to this line ot thought, is simply to chip away all that is inauthentic, allowing our Authentic Swing to emerge in its purity.”
-Excerpt from The Legend of Bagger Vance by Steven Pressfield
I haven’t written much about an idea that is presented in this excerpt from the book The Legend of Bagger Vance–maybe one or two Notes in the past about focusing on what you don’t like to help you move closer to your authentic life.
When I read this and Bagger Vance mentioned the statue of David, I immediately knew where the conversation was going. And I immediately thought about the “midlife awakening” that so many experience around age 40 — I’m pretty sure Carl Jung even said it was at 40 that we begin living. That life until age 40 is about chipping away at the stone to eventually reveal our authentic Self and life.
All of our life experiences, the good and the bad, are just strikes against the stone. After enough “work,” our David, our authentic life, is revealed.
If you are aware that you are chipping away at the stone, you can move faster and reveal your authentic life sooner by focusing your efforts on the inauthentic areas, leaving you with just the authentic, sooner than if you were just aimlessly chipping away.
Your authentic Self and life are within you–you are the stone–and they are just waiting for you to reveal them—both by focusing on your passions and by removing the inauthentic.
See you tomorrow and keep pursuing,
JC
🦅 Some ways I might be able to help you live your authentic life:
🤝 One-on-Ones Let's hop on Zoom to do a guided meditation, a creative brainstorming session, or an overcoming an obstacle session.
💸 AlignedLife+ A unique relationship offered at Santiago that combines life planning, financial planning and advice, and ongoing coaching to help you discover your authentic life, design a plan to bring that life to your reality, and support to help you evolve with the evolution of your authentic life. Learn more here.
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