Make Room for Growth
One of my favourite books — Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah, by Richard Bach — holds this beautiful quote:
“There is no such thing as a problem without a gift for you in its hands. You seek problems because you need their gifts”.
This is what my year has been like. I’ve been seeking out problems, and I’ve been finding their gifts. And within the balance of these two sides of the pendulum swing, I’m learning that life is not meant to be easy — it’s meant to be lived. We’ll get dirty, hurt, angry, and ashamed, but also excited, rewarded, loved and inspired. In all of this intensity, we find what it means to be alive: to learn, to adapt and to grow. And mostly (if we pay attention), we find our heart — sometimes a bit bruised, sometimes a bit broken, and sometimes radiating with love and compassion.
I want to thank you deeply for bringing your problems and challenges to my humble little practice room in Amsterdam. The greatness of your journeys could be stories you read about in books. And the problems, the challenges, and the difficulties all held their own unique gifts — gifts sometimes so generous they brought tears to both our eyes.
The year is about to come to an end, and what I wish for you is that next year will hold exactly the kind of problems you want, so you can receive exactly the kind of gifts you need. May those gifts come in many forms, may they bring interesting adventures, and may the problems you encounter be dealt with graciously and powerfully.
Happy Holidays, and see you soon!
Leander
Right, that picture… I was asked by a very dear friend to open her conscious Fashion Pioneers Awards (the first of its kind) with a poemfrom my hand. And it was amazing. There were dancers and a room full of 150 people watching. I was terrified — but also very happy to embark on that challenge. A challenge I didn’t ask for, but a gift I happily received.
Find the awesome after movie of the event here
