SERIES
PROJECT SHALOM
REVIEW YOUR
story
Embrace exploration as a
preferred way of life, turning
each moment into an adventure
THE ALCHEMISTS OF
OLD SPOKE ABOUT THE
IDEA OF TURNING BASE
METALS INTO GOLD
THROUGH THE
ALCHEMICAL PROCESS.
WHEN YOU
APPRECIATIVELY
RESEARCH THE
UNEXAMINED PARTS OF
YOUR HISTORY, YOU
BECOME ABLE TO TURN
WHAT SEEMS LIKE
ORDINARY
ENCOUNTERS AND
EXPERIENCES INTO THE
GOLD OF WISDOM.
THE JOURNEY TOWARDS AN APPRECIATIVE LIFE
begins by making your life truly your own
by deepening your appreciation of the
wealth that you carry inside you just for
having lived your unique life. The alchemists of old spoke about the idea of turning base metals into gold through the alchemical process. When you appreciatively
research the unexamined parts of your
history, your life, you become able to turn
what seems like ordinary encounters and
experiences into the gold of wisdom. In
so doing, you become mindful and appreciative of your inner wealth. This makes
72 JEWISH LIFE ■ ISSUE 83
you feel not only richer, but also more
substantial and whole.
Through this process, you may start to
reclaim some of the knowledge about
what in your life has been precious and
dear to you. If you keep this knowledge
alive inside you and draw on it, it will become a ready source not only of guidance,
but also encouragement and inspiration.
Maintaining this appreciative awareness
will help you to stay close to what is truly
most important to you.
Appreciatively witnessing everyday life
could start with a review of the story that
expresses itself through your life. This is the
implicit story about who you are and the
ideas and words that shape your experience.
As you re-examine the story, as if reading a
new piece of literature, you might find verses in the story that were in fact never written by you, nor do they reflect the truth of
who you are or your preferred ways of being. Once this re-examination has made the
story explicit, you can re-verse the narrative, by re-authoring the story in a way that
speaks about the person you really want to
be, and the life that you want as an authentic and full expression of your personhood.
PHOTOGRAPH: BIGSTOCKPHOTO.COM; PORTRAIT: SUPPLIED
BY LEONARD CARR