“When one loves one’s Art no service seems too hard.” – O. Henry
When you live from the outside-in, what you are doing takes on greater importance than how you are doing it. When, conversely, you live from the inside-out, what you are doing pales in comparison to what you bring to the activity.
The art of self-expression is an art worth mastering. It is, in short, the ability to bring your full creative capabilities to bear in relation to a momentary activity without excuse, apology or hesitation.
Far too many people restrain from giving their finest and highest, regardless of what is going on round about. They are their own jailers; they imprison their noblest expression by blaming the world around them. “This is not my cup of tea,” the say, or “I would be fulfilled were it not for this or that in my circumstances.”
To live life fully, you must fully relinquish the falsely comforting and addictive habits of judgment and blame. Moreover, you must fill the empty space left by these corrosive habits with unremitting love and an unflappable sense of responsibility.
Gregory Hake 
Many people seek to control every little detail of their lives. It’s like herding cats, and they struggle. Instead, it is much easier to control what is coming out of you rather than what is around you. It can be a subtle art; to do it effectively requires the sensitivity and wisdom to understand what is correct in different circumstances. Yet it is the only approach that lets each person determine their destiny. In fact, what comes out of you will determine your destiny whether you control it or not. You have the choice: steer the rudder of you life’s ship in an effective manner, or luff out of control and let the random currents of chance take you where they will.
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The Art Of Self Expression is worth mastering even if it takes a life time.
Great post
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When one’s art is the art of living, circumstance of all kinds may be accepted, not as the cause for depression or exultation but as the canvas upon which a valuable work of art can be created. While we might prefer this or that setting, event or nuance, everything is viewed in terms of its potential advantage. On this basis, limitation becomes a crucible for creative pressure whenever it occurs and opportunity is ever present.
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Great post Greg and reply Vincent. I love the emphasis on looking at the circumstances of our lives as a canvas to create an artful expression of living. Yes it is the quality of living that really counts.
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An unflappable sense of responsibility sure feels different when your living from the inside out. I’ve experienced both -one is a great weight and the other is a privilege I thanked God for. It’s one of those feelings that I use as the “canary” to stay on track in my own living. If I feel the weight and not the privilege it’s a red flag. Thanks for your post. This is not a nuance it’s foundational.
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Judgement and blame are our certainly the self-created jailors to our own experience. If we think that by judging and blaming, we are taking control of the situation or seeing all, we’re just plain wrong. What a tragic story if we spend our time here on earth and fail to live because of something so petty and small.
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I think we’d be shocked to realize how much of our lives are lived with self-imposed limitations and that the culprit is judgement and blame. The exciting part is that we can get rid of two attitudes that aren’t very fun anyways, and begin to really live!
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