A Curious Little Art Called Kintsugi

A question as I deep dive into my studies on building resilience came to my mind this morning over my coffee. If you could choose and really had the power to do so, would you not want something to challenge you? What if you could remove any challenge, any, with the snap of your fingers? Would you use that power? If you did, what would you miss? How would you know what you are made of? What would others think of you if they discovered you had this power and used it often?

I’ve been slammed in the face before. At work. In life. Sometimes without any provocation or warning, just BAMM! 🙅🏻‍♂️ Right across my face, figuratively of course. That bounce back, it sucks when you have to do it. But, it’s the best medicine you can take and swallow. What’s better is how it changes you and yes, scars you. What you learn about yourself after a huge failure or mistake is incredible. There is a certain beauty in that.

If you haven’t guessed by my most recent posts, I’ve been really getting influenced by Japanese and Chinese philosophies as to how it relates to resilience. There’s a Japanese tradition I came across called “Kintsugi.” I’m still learning about this. Below is an excerpt from one of Holstee’s founders Dave Radparvar on Kintsugi:

“Kintsugi is the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with gold. It can also be viewed as a philosophy for life. The gold highlights the pottery’s unique history, rather than hiding it. It’s the idea that our past and our pains do not need to leave us broken in pieces. Rather, we can fill in the gaps with our beauty and be strengthened through them. Our scars can become a gilded reminder of our resilience.” Dave Radparvar

Our scars whether mental or physical are reminders to all what we’ve been through. What we’ve accumulated in value from those experiences. Golden and gilded.

So when I reflect again at the above questions. Do I want to be able to snap my fingers and not have to face a challenge, just move through it, NO. The whole point of starting this blog and space to share wouldn’t mean a thing and would not have come to be with a power like that. These posts are a form of Kintsugi to me. The pieces of myself. My learns and my failures, shared for all to see.

Look at your scars. What do they tell you about your strength and beauty? Write them below if you feel led to in the comments of this post. Be the strength for others.

Have a great weekend ⛩

✌🏻 Shawn