Written by: Andrew David McDowell, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Comparison does not serve you. How often do we find ourselves as humans looking to those items outside ourselves for love, validation, and purpose? Oh if I could just have that kind of job or that hunk of a man for a husband or that sporty car that just drove by you. Maybe I just need to go see the plastic surgeon and fix this, tweak that. When we live a life like this, we are constantly chasing life trying to reach these items or achieve this type of success that society says is cool. We never reach long-lasting joy and happiness. It is always fleeting in nature. No long-lasting permanence.
Inside validation and self-love
True joy and happiness come when we can rather spend life looking inward and searching for and achieving our purpose, values, and passions. The outside items are nice to haves and we should seek them out for ourselves, however, not at the expense of living our lives from the inside out. When we love ourselves and the little child inside of ourselves, our truth and light can shine out to the world. We don’t care what others think of us anymore. It’s freedom and liberating to take that monkey off of our backs. To be whom we were created to be and have a starting point from which we can bring creativity and value to the world.
Being is a state of living out your life purpose
I would like to walk you through an analogy to illustrate this point that I hope you can relate to. The analogy is that of the life of a flower. Flowers understand their purpose. They don’t worry about the competition. They just live out their life. They work with the nutrients in their earth looking for that great environment from which to grow in. They take these nutrients to grow themselves. Grow themselves into their purpose. They might be next to fellow flowers and they are okay with that. No competition here, just a teammate. Team Flower! Let’s get this guys!
They grow into these beautiful creatures both in looks and smell. They are not seeking out anything outside themselves. They are comfortable in their spot ready to give visual and smell value to anyone they attract to themselves. Every single minute delivers on that value. Living their purpose. Want to have that all the time? Sure, take me home with you. Put me in a vase and keep feeding me. I will keep delivering value as long as I can. Talk to me, give to me, encourage me and I will keep beaming in your midst.
Being attracts those who resonate with you in that being
Oh, don’t mind me, I am just here attracting. Oh, hi Mister Bee! Do you want a relationship? Sure, come sit on me and take my pollen. Let’s enjoy each other’s company while we are both still alive. Tell your friends about me. Spread my pollen so that other flowers might be able to grow and thrive. Use it to make your honey. Teamwork! Relationship! Win-Win! We are both of the earth but are different (Just like Women and Men are different but both of this earth). We each have our different purpose and different strengths and weaknesses. But we work together for a common purpose.
Start Being then align you're doing with it
We cannot be a flower when we are not living out our purpose full of self-love. We invite chaos into our world and we end up looking like a rock instead of a flower. A hard, immobile rock that no one wants to take home and enjoy. It lasts forever but doesn’t deliver that warmth, comfort, and joy that a flower does. Do your internal work to find healing in your life. Find your purpose. Live it out. Don’t care what others think of it. Just nuzzle up next to the other flowers and let your light and smell shine on. Team Flower! Let’s do this!
Andrew David McDowell, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Andy is an engineer by trade and a creative by nature. He spent 22 years with the Boeing Company, where he always felt more like a life coach than a boss. In 2002, he began his journey into entrepreneurship within a Corporation when he was asked to develop an Airspace Design Consulting business from scratch that would serve the global government market. Andy has a Bachelor’s Degree from Georgia Tech in Electrical Engineering and a Master’s Degree in Computer Information Systems from Georgia State. Naturally, his aviation work took him around the world and enabled him to work on high-profile projects ‒ such as preparing the Beijing and Sochi Airports for their respective Olympic Games.
