Section guide: [ Creative Thinking ] [ Prosperity ] [ Self-Expression ] Self-Expression To be what we are, and to become what we are capable of becoming, is the only end of life.
Robert Louis Stevenson
The opposite of self-expression is self-repression. Perish the thought!  A beautiful book that helped me to widen my views on self-expression was Alexandra Stoddard's Daring to Be Yourself. To folks - like myself - who know what it is to be shy, insecure, or out of touch with their feelings, this book can be revelatory. The author offers hundreds of thoughtful tips on discovering, trusting, and expressing one's personal style in the home environment, at work, in relationships, at play, while shopping or entertaining, and so on. To be able to express our higher nature in our personal environment, clearly and honestly, is key to authentic living and a sign of healthy self-esteem.
An even higher form of expression is that of asking God to express Himself through us. We can look to the saints for many poetic examples of this quality. At its heart is the paradox of surrender of self in order to gain true personhood. Looking for the Divine within you? All you have to do is ask: Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace;
Where there is hatred, let me sow charity;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is error, truth;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light; and
Where there is sadness, joy. O, Divine Master,
Grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled, as to console;
To be understood as to understand;
To be loved as to love;
For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
And it is in dying to ourselves that we are born to eternal life. Amen. St. Francis of Assisi
Note how unselfish this prayer is. Some good books on the subject of self-expression through work are: The Path by Laurie Beth Jones
Creating Your Mission Statement for Work and for Life Do What You Love, the Money Will Follow by Marsha Sinetar What Color is Your Parachute? by Richard Nelson Bolles Making a Living Without a Job by Barbara J. Winter
Winning Ways for Creating Work that You Love
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