Picture a beautiful handbag. It belongs to you. The stoic but soft fabric, the shine, the gold-rimming, the chic timelessness it exudes. It is gorgeous, and it is something to stroll with proudly. But it is only the outer layer. The inside is what holds the real worth. The photographs of your children, the notebook with moving thoughts, perhaps your passport to the world beyond, the keys to your home, your glasses to properly see what is in front and what is behind.
There is the outside and the inside. Both essential. And in some ways, this is symbolic of desire and will. The outside, the desire, is one thing. The inside might be rugged or raw or dirty or composed, but it is your will. It holds everything you purport to be. With only a glossy external desire comes emptiness. But when it contains something deeper, something that stems from the inside, that is will. Without it, we will only ever be skirting our surface.
Like inside and outside, the difference between desire and will is striking. We use desire for everything. It’s a fundamental part of us. Yet whether you’re dating or job hunting, it is doubtful you’ll get what you want if it comes only from this superficial space. Or, if you do get a lucky break, it won’t last long or the rules change. Your primal scream is in full mode. “Why can’t I have this?” transforms into “Why don’t you like me?” It’s doubtful that you will ever go beyond until you embrace using your will.
Your will is your very life force. It’s the atoms that comprise the very being of who you are. It’s is the air you breathe, the universal force you faithfully salute, your gateway to joy. When using your will, you express your truest self, where you are always seen. You cannot teach someone to see you. And those precious moments where they do happens with the grace of your will. It is what others around you don’t see from the surface at first glance, but it is what others will not forget once your will has had a chance to peek out.
Your will is your way into the world, personally and professionally. Knowing your will, holding on to your will, is a first step to being seen. You don’t have to yell it out to everyone; it is just there. When you feel it, and accept it, you will shine.
You’ll know when it happens, and it may feel terrifying. And if you decide to ignore such a quest, there will be consequences, and it will feel like you’re surfing against a tsunami.
Life was never meant to be a struggle, and if you’re feeling it right now, take a moment, a very long moment and give yourself permission to invite it in.
Originally published at medium.com