Law 20: Do Not Commit to Anyone

I'm a week into my summer, have my fabulous new internship, and super stressful classes. I opened up my favorite behavioral guide and fell upon my medicine.

Law 20:: Do Not Commit to Anyone:: It is the fool who always rushes to take sides. Do not commit to any side or cause but yourself. By maintaining your independence, you become the master of others -- playing people against one another, making them pursue you.

One of the reasons I love this book is that I can read the same laws over again and they speak to me in different ways each time. The law above is telling me to invest in myself with loose commitment to anything else. By taking the options the universe offers, I am committed to myself and becoming the master of the varying path I will follow.

When I was a freshman in college, I knew I would be a big time marketing executive because that's where all the money was, according to my mom. I had a gift for speaking and was very likable, so this would certainly be the best career road for me. I often think about where I would be if I had stayed committed to this path. Would it be like living in a loveless marriage? Would I wake up every morning to pick out a well tailored suit and boring shoes? Then I would spend my early mornings in traffic listening to syndicated radio shows where everyone's problems were addressed but mine. I'd hop out of my luxury hybrid vehicle, because I can't choose which element is more important to my ride, and my only fun would be at the occasional happy hour I could attend when I wasn't too tired or depressed about my loveless marriage of a career.

Yeah, thank God I have the faith to commit to my innermost self.

Don't get it twisted, I can appreciate a 9 to 5. Money's guaranteed, and that's always all good. And hopefully one day the man I choose to spend the rest of my unmarried life with will be somewhat corporate. I like business clothes on a man as well as on the floor. But I only recommend sticking to that 9 to 5 if it's a commitment to what your heart dreams of, what your body believes in, and what your mind deserves.

So I'm loveLoveLOVING my new internship at RollingOut Magazine. It's only been three days, but when I go, my crazy shoes are appreciated, my smoky voice is loved, and all my talents are welcome. Had I stayed with the marketing plan, I would have been a fool. This opportunity found me, and I have been able to open up to it as I wasn't committed to anything else. I'm not in a loveless marriage. My dreams are courting me. I've got those first date butterflies. I just wanna lay in it.

The secret to power is understanding you already have it; it's just waiting to be released. I am discovering my power day by day. Each time I tell my soul "yes," I can feel myself being pulled in the direction I am meant to go. It's a lifting feeling ...a high if you must. I shut my eyes in question and open them in decision. I may be an intern, but dammit I have such power. No fears, just desire and space for fulfillment.

So how was your day?

I encourage everyone to selfishly commit to themselves. Life's short. If you don't commit to you, it'll be a brief and lonely life. And while I'm telling tales in heaven of the amazing places I visited, the beautiful people I met, the wonderful sex I had, and the delicious food I ate, it'd be nice to have someone to compare stories with.

Fin.