What Does One Have to Do?

To grow tall, one must grow deep.

To grow deep, one must break through.

To break through, one must break down.

To break down, one must break in.

Last night, I broke in—broke into the house of my tired mind

Only to find pieces—pieces of the puzzle of mine.

But after assembling them, I saw it—

I saw the wounds, crystal clear.

The failures. The mistakes. The rejections and losses.

It all became obvious,

Obvious as it had never been.

It was shame that was staring at me.

But what does it have to do with shame?

What does it mean to be ashamed?

The more I think, the more I realize

The sheer absurdity of shame.

We shame ourselves for getting it wrong,

When we shouldn’t be getting it right.

We shame ourselves for not succeeding

The first time.  

We shame ourselves for imperfections.

We shame ourselves for what’s normal.

We shame ourselves for being human,

For doing what is right.

So, what does one have to do?

To reach the highest heights

Yes, what does one have to do?

To conquer mountains of success.

We spend our lives wondering how,

How we can be our better Self.

But sometimes the beauty of it all

Is there is nothing left to do.

So what does one have to do?

Perhaps that is the wrong question.

What shouldn’t one do? What should one be?

Perhaps that is the key to success.

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