Curator or Creator?
Mama told us we could be whatever we want to be. I think Mama was wrong.
After 80 years of trying to be a lot of things and never feeling right in any of them, I’ve come to the realization that I haven’t been really good at most of them. I’ve muddled through but very seldom felt in the flow.
Mama should have told us to listen for the call and find our gift that we can use in the service of other people.
I’ve spent much of my life trying to be someone else because I didn’t know who I was. The second half of life work is listening for the answer to two great existential questions: Who am I? Why am I here?
I am a curator, not a creator. My Enneagram 4 with a 5 wing has pointed me in that direction. I’m in the flow when I’m harvesting ideas and information from others and making connections and applications. I’m going against the flow when I’m trying to create something new, or something that I think is new. Doesn’t the world need curators as much as creators?
Richard Rohr said, “We must listen, wait, and pray for our charism and call. Most of us are really only good at one or two things. Meditation should lead to clarity about who we are and, maybe even more, who we are not.”
Be still for five or ten minutes and meditate on three questions: What am I good at? What do I really enjoy doing? Does the world need it? Then, throw in a bonus question: Could I possibly get paid for it?
You’ll recognize these questions as the Japanese concept of Ikigai - a reason for getting out of bed in the morning.