24-214 Being Earnest

The Mandala Lady, , , , , , , , , ,
MotD 24-214 8-1-24 abstract background with muted colors of metallic greens and purples, and a speckled off-white background. on top in black ink is drawn a spiral pathway starting from bottom center going up and to the left and around 2.5 times. purple metallic dots are along the path in single file. the center is gold metallic with a black infinity symbol over it.

Being Earnest

“having a purpose and being steadily and seriously eager in it pursuit”

I can recall several times in my life where I was steadily and eagerly in pursuit of a goal. One was going after my computer science degree at the age of 28 so that I could work at Hughes Aircraft, who at the time was a major corporation of over 70,000 employees. Another was training for and running the 1989 L. A. Marathon at the age of 35. And more recently was when I discovered mandalas at the age of 45.

I don’t recall why Hughes Aircraft was my goal but it was so strong that I worked as a data entry operator for a temp agency during the day and when to school at Cal State University at Dominguez Hills at night…for three whole years. During my last year of school I told the temp agency I only wanted jobs at Hughes. I tried getting into Hughes via their normal hiring process and it got me no where…so I figured I’ll get in there another way. My first temp job allowed me to connect with someone who knew of my pursuit and helped me get in on a summer (paying) internship for engineering students. Long story short, I got in and did so well Hughes hired me as an engineering student with an automatic promotion to software engineer as soon as I graduated six months later. I ended up working there for almost 6 years. I left to move to Florida (a whole different story for another time).

I’ve shared my marathon story before so I’ll keep it brief. My condo neighbor and I trained for nine months together. We worked up to four miles a day, 4 days a week; and built up to 22 miles on Sundays (the marathon happens on Sundays). It truly was a case of slow and steady. Neither of us won the race; we did, however, win by achieving our goal of running it…I don’t ever have to do it again.

The mandala story is too long to go into here so I’ll just share this…it has been a 25 year pursuit with no end in sight. The day I discovered mandalas changed my life forever. I knew it was the art form I wanted to pursue. Over the years it has been a slow and steady journey, exploring them in any way I was led…which makes me eagerly curious as to where it takes me next.

What I can say about all three of these examples is that they all started with a burning desire to go after them in a steady, systematic way…the source of the desire (the what) came from someplace deep inside. The pursuit of them took my logical, resourceful mind (the how) to help map out the journey and keep me on track.

How about you? Is being earnest a core value for you?

BTW…here’s what it looked like to begin with …

MotD 24-214 8-1-24 abstract background with muted colors of metallic greens and purples, and a speckled off-white background.

joyfully,

Maureen
The Mandala Lady

bringing sanity to an insane world through the art of mandalas

About the 2024 Mandalas of the Day

Each day I will create and post a mandala inspired by one of 366 “value” words chosen randomly. The objective being to discover for myself which ones would best represent my core values…and by doing so, I hope it inspires you to determine your own.

Unknown's avatar

Published by The Mandala Lady

My Mission: connecting with our Inner Light in delightful, inspiring ways For me, creating mandalas is more than just coloring pretty patterns in a circle. I do it because my spiritual evolution and creativity require it of me. My mandala designs come about within an active meditative state, connected with my higher self, my spiritual guides and nature spirits. Together, we bring into form, mandala art the allows me to re-connect with my own inner peace and joy, letting me explore and expand my own creative spirit to however far and in whatever direction I want to take it. As part of my own spiritual journey, I encourage, and hopefully inspire, others to explore their own creativity, to help them re-connect with their own inner peace and joy. As a means to that end, I make all of my mandalas available for people to color. Why should I have all the fun?

Leave a comment