Open the door

I’ve long believed that the universe will bring you what you need, all you need to do is ask.  In some circles this is called voicing your intentions, in others it is actively fostering an open mind and in others it’s called prayer.  Whatever your vehicle, I truly believe that if you know in your heart what you want and you actively work towards it, the universe will find a way to satisfy your need.  So I when I heard that same thought voiced by none other than Jim Carrey at the 2014 MUM convocation address, I was surprised, but felt somewhat vindicated.

Mr. Carrey used the phrase “you open the door in your mind, and work towards it, and when the door opens in real life…walk through it.”  And to me he succinctly captures the two halves of success:  be open to the opportunity and the change, and when it’s offered, take advantage.  I see these as the two halves because both require insight and courage.  To have the courage to look deep inside yourself and know what to ask for is hard.  The courage to look inside where there be monsters, to know yourself without the shells and personas you’ve created for the greater world.  To be prepared to accept what you see.  This takes courage.  To decide where you want to go next despite insufficient information, despite where you are today, despite a way to get there.  This takes insight.  But it is perhaps the last step, literally, that is the hardest.  To take that last step through the door when it is opened, to make that commitment is the hardest step of all.

Aristotle is said to have said “Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.” This is the crux of this conversation, how do you know what ask for?  It starts with honestly getting to know yourself. It starts with listening.  To some extent you also have to let go of your ego.  You have to walk through that door ready to accept the journey for what it is there to teach you and not what you want from it.  If opening that door in your mind means feng shui -ing your life, then so be it.  If wisdom is having the skills to use all your senses to understand what the universe has given you, so be it.

I was touched by the genuine caring Jim Carrey showed in that address.  His knowledge and wisdom obviously learned through a long arduous journey to discover himself.  And yet, even in that profound wisdom, he didn’t loose the humour and character that are so quintessentially him. If you haven’t yet, go watch the address.  You never know, it might just be that door opening for you.