COLUMN BIG MAGIC
As a birthday gift, one of my dear friends invited me last night to attend an event at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam: Big Magic – an Evening Lecture with Elizabeth Gilbert. Besides being the author of the famous novel Eat, Pray, Love (filmed starring Julia Roberts), I knew little about her and my expectations were pretty low.
Unaware of her tumultuous life, Elizabeth shared her experiences like a professional storyteller, leaving her audience in awe.
She was raised with the idea she had to be perfect, which gave her a lot of anxiety. After two divorces, she fell in love with the love of her life, her hairdresser; a former drug addict who died of cancer shortly after their romance had started. This person taught her so much about forgiveness and setting boundaries. Liz came to the realization that the pursuit of monetizing one’s purpose and success, followed by giving back and leaving a legacy, is insincere and dishonest.
Imagine if we all (8 billion people worldwide) would strive for this. How ridiculous! She concluded that life is an Earth School and life comes and goes in waves. Don’t look for your life purpose; the assignment will be ready for you.
She grew up on a farm with a dad who was not handy and always stood on the ladders she held. One time, she was walking through the streets of LA, and there was a guy high up an unsteady ladder. She did not think twice and held the ladder for 45 minutes until the guy came down safely. Immediately after, she wondered if this could have been her life purpose: simply holding a ladder for a random guy.
According to Liz, Magic is the next thing that wants to happen. You get to choose. It is all stages of the mind.
My friend and I headed to a bar right after the event to have a drink and discuss what we had just witnessed. What a night, what a woman, what an inspiration! Liz, thank you for sharing your wisdom and your big magic, which we did not know we needed.