I've been thinking about pottery lately. Strange, I know, but stick with me on this one.
There's something profound about watching clay take shape on a potter's wheel. At first, it's just spinning chaos. Wobbling.
Resisting. Fighting the very process that's meant to transform it.
Sound familiar?
Story
There are moments when life feels like you're spinning endlessly, completely out of control.
I remember sitting in that hospital room, everything spinning around me. The diagnosis. The prognosis. The fear. Seven months to live, they said. I felt like clay being thrown against a wall, shapeless and broken.
But here's what I discovered in that chaos: believing in yourself is like shaping clay on a potter's wheel. At times, we might feel stuck, spinning endlessly, grappling with imbalance and wondering when the chaos will stop.
The spinning isn't the problem. The spinning is the process.
Most people think centering means stopping the wheel. But that's not how pottery works. That's not how life works either.
Centering happens while you're spinning. It happens in the middle of the chaos, not after it ends.
Shift
Here's the breakthrough: We are both the clay and the potter in our lives, gently molding our dreams into the reality we wish to see, shaping the existence we desire.
You're not just the victim of circumstances spinning you around. You're also the artist with the power to shape what emerges from the spinning.
Our hands, representing our inner beliefs, work to smooth out the rough edges, softening our exteriors until we start to embrace the life we're meant to create.
When you stop fighting the spin and start working with it, something magical happens. The very force that felt like it was destroying you becomes the power that shapes you.
But here's where most people get stuck. They think they have to know exactly what they're creating before they start. They think they need a perfect plan, a clear vision, a guaranteed outcome.
We must release the expectation that things need to be a certain way and be brave enough to start over when necessary, understanding that each attempt is a lesson learned.
The clay doesn't judge the potter for starting over. It doesn't hold grudges about previous attempts. It just shows up, ready to become whatever it's meant to become.
Why are we harder on ourselves than clay is on a potter?
When we stop listening to the judgments of others and tune into our inner voice, we unlock our true creative potential.
Everyone has an opinion about what your life should look like. What shape you should take. What you should become. But they're not the ones with their hands on your wheel.
By letting go of what we think is "supposed" to happen, we allow ourselves to just be, discovering our path and experiencing life in the way it's meant for us.
Uplift
Life is on the wheel, waiting. What are you waiting for?
The spinning hasn't stopped. The clay is still soft. The possibilities are still endless.
You have everything you need to shape the life you want. Your hands. Your beliefs. Your willingness to center yourself in the chaos and work with the forces that feel like they're working against you.
The wheel keeps turning whether you engage with it or not. The question is: Will you shape your life, or will you let life shape you?
The moment you stop trying to create what others expect and start creating what feels true to you is the moment your real life begins to take shape.
Your hands know what to do. Your inner voice knows the way. Trust the process, even when you can't see the final form.
This self-belief shapes us, each taking a unique form, yet all requiring a certain alignment to evolve.
The clay is ready. The wheel is turning. Your life is waiting to take shape.
What are you going to create?
Hope isn't a passive wish. It's a strategy. And your strategy starts with putting your hands on the wheel and trusting that you know how to create something beautiful from the spinning.
With Hope,
Jason
P.S. Remember, you're both the clay and the potter. The spinning isn't happening to you. It's happening for you.
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About This Newsletter:
Every week, I structure these letters using Story > Shift > Uplift. I share something real (the story), help you see it differently (the shift), then leave you feeling empowered to take action (the uplift). It's how transformation happens. One truth at a time.
info@jasontharp.com we will get back to you ASAP. © Jason Tharp, Wonderville Studios, LLC | All Rights
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This newsletter is part of the Beyond Hope Project, where we champion the overlooked by redefining possibilities through hope, community, and love.
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