Reaping Opportunities in the Here and Now

Across all cultures, religions, political, geographic positionings, this past year has us all experiencing extraordinary challenges.

At the same time, however, we can see these challenges as opportunities to learn more about ourselves and dig deeper into our own unique capabilities and desires.

I seem to always have quotes running around inside of my head. One of the ones that is playing for me these days is from Rumi, “… The wound is the place where the Light enters you.”

Nearly three years ago I experienced the sudden and unexpected death of my Mother.

I always thought of myself as having depth of emotion and empathy. In the midst of my heaviest grieving, in my mind’s eye, I looked down, expecting to see my feet. Instead, I saw a long, cavernous, seemingly endless tunnel. It was purely a profound realization that I had so much more inside of me than I ever imagined possible.

I saw then that I had just been scratching the surface. The feeling was both mind blowing and empowering all at once. Very concretely, I saw that a window had opened, and I had an opportunity to take a very candid look at myself. And I needed to make good use of my time while I was there to look carefully and honestly at myself, my fallacies, my weaknesses, and my strengths. 

I still believe that this was a gift to me from my Mother.  Knowing that she was dead was so terribly hard, that even looking straight at myself was easier than that. That gift was having the courage and the impetus to look and face. The gift was time opened up, to investigate, to see, to confront.

It occurred to me that this type of careful seeing is what I have doing for my clients all of these years, looking intensively at their goals, their brands, their core reasons for doing what they do. Now I had the opportunity to do this for myself both personally and professionally. 

I also saw that we don’t have to wait for catastrophic events to happen before taking this deep dive. The opportunity exists always in the here and now.

Of course, we are indeed faced with catastrophic events right now. What better time to investigate and see how our worlds open up?

About the Author

Tamara Gould is the owner and founder of Waking State Design, a full-service branding and graphic design studio in Los Angeles. Tamara’s education and practice as an artist informs Waking State’s aesthetic, search for authenticity, and open-minded approach to each situation. This approach has allowed her to traverse through myriad industries, people, clients, and circumstances, successfully building and fortifying our client’s visual branding across platforms.

Adobe Stock, image by Mia Stendal