1 00:00:09,119 --> 00:00:14,159 Speaker 1: Hi, everybody, it's Carl Taylor here for this week's Mojo Monday. So. 2 00:00:14,400 --> 00:00:17,680 Speaker 1: I was chatting with a friend the other day and 3 00:00:18,000 --> 00:00:23,040 Speaker 1: our conversation turned to acceptance. And she has four kids, 4 00:00:23,200 --> 00:00:25,959 Speaker 1: and she shared a story about a time that they 5 00:00:26,000 --> 00:00:28,600 Speaker 1: were at the beach and she was wearing a bikini 6 00:00:29,360 --> 00:00:32,559 Speaker 1: and her youngest son came up to her and asked 7 00:00:32,600 --> 00:00:36,320 Speaker 1: her about the loose skin on her tummy, and she 8 00:00:36,560 --> 00:00:41,000 Speaker 1: proudly explained to him that her tummy represented all her 9 00:00:41,080 --> 00:00:44,640 Speaker 1: beautiful children and the love that she had for each 10 00:00:44,680 --> 00:00:48,040 Speaker 1: of them. And her son smiled and skipped off and 11 00:00:48,159 --> 00:00:52,040 Speaker 1: went off to play. And this story just really moved me. 12 00:00:52,320 --> 00:00:56,160 Speaker 1: And it's beautiful. Well, I think it's just beautiful how 13 00:00:56,240 --> 00:00:59,959 Speaker 1: she took something that many might see as an imperfect 14 00:01:00,000 --> 00:01:04,880 Speaker 1: action or a flaw and found meaning and beauty in it. 15 00:01:05,080 --> 00:01:09,360 Speaker 1: And she passed this perspective onto her son, and it 16 00:01:09,520 --> 00:01:14,759 Speaker 1: reminded me of the Japanese concept of wabi sabi. So, 17 00:01:14,800 --> 00:01:19,360 Speaker 1: wabi sabi is a philosophy and a mindset that values 18 00:01:19,400 --> 00:01:25,000 Speaker 1: the beauty in imperfection. It values the natural aging process 19 00:01:25,319 --> 00:01:30,080 Speaker 1: and the idea that nothing is ever truly complete and 20 00:01:30,560 --> 00:01:36,200 Speaker 1: that there is this impermanence in everything, and it originates 21 00:01:36,280 --> 00:01:41,560 Speaker 1: in Japan way back in the ninth century, and it 22 00:01:41,680 --> 00:01:46,000 Speaker 1: is it is linked to the tea ceremony, the Japanese 23 00:01:46,040 --> 00:01:51,640 Speaker 1: tea ceremony. So it's the appreciation of these unique irregularities 24 00:01:51,720 --> 00:01:58,320 Speaker 1: in handcrafted ceramic tea bowls and this simplistic environment where 25 00:01:58,360 --> 00:02:03,040 Speaker 1: the tea ceremony took place. So from this perspective, it's 26 00:02:03,080 --> 00:02:09,960 Speaker 1: about cherishing that uneveness, unevenness or the imperfections in a 27 00:02:10,000 --> 00:02:15,079 Speaker 1: handmade bowl or cup, the cracks in old wood, or 28 00:02:15,639 --> 00:02:19,120 Speaker 1: the soften, sort of stained pages of an aged book. 29 00:02:19,680 --> 00:02:26,679 Speaker 1: And I've always loved ceramics, and especially the perfectly imperfect 30 00:02:26,840 --> 00:02:31,519 Speaker 1: handcrafted pieces that have this beautiful, earthy charm. I think 31 00:02:31,560 --> 00:02:35,040 Speaker 1: I've mentioned before I collect Japanese the sort of the 32 00:02:35,120 --> 00:02:38,040 Speaker 1: Japanese style little tea cups which I drank my morning 33 00:02:38,160 --> 00:02:43,320 Speaker 1: espresso in. But in today's world, this perspective is really 34 00:02:43,360 --> 00:02:47,640 Speaker 1: important because so many of us are focused on striving 35 00:02:47,680 --> 00:02:52,120 Speaker 1: for this unattainable perfection, whether it's being perfect at your 36 00:02:52,240 --> 00:02:57,520 Speaker 1: job or having a perfect appearance, even being a perfect parent. 37 00:02:58,240 --> 00:03:01,360 Speaker 1: You know, we all find aspects of ourselves that we 38 00:03:01,400 --> 00:03:04,679 Speaker 1: don't like and that we want to change, and today, 39 00:03:04,720 --> 00:03:09,040 Speaker 1: more than ever, we have these means to change, especially 40 00:03:09,200 --> 00:03:12,440 Speaker 1: the physical. So we've got botox and lip fillers, and 41 00:03:12,480 --> 00:03:16,400 Speaker 1: we can have perfect eyebrows, and there's plastic surgery, and 42 00:03:16,639 --> 00:03:20,919 Speaker 1: of course there's different reasons for choosing to change our appearance, 43 00:03:21,720 --> 00:03:25,840 Speaker 1: but if the goal is perfection, it's never going to 44 00:03:25,880 --> 00:03:31,360 Speaker 1: be reached. We change, and in Wabi Sabi terms, everything 45 00:03:31,440 --> 00:03:36,320 Speaker 1: is impermanent. We grow, we have babies, we age, we 46 00:03:36,440 --> 00:03:41,560 Speaker 1: get lines on our faces. What if we embraced these 47 00:03:41,680 --> 00:03:47,280 Speaker 1: changes and adopted this Wabi sabi mindset and find beauty 48 00:03:47,360 --> 00:03:51,840 Speaker 1: in our own imperfections. So what are these these perfect 49 00:03:51,960 --> 00:03:57,440 Speaker 1: imperfections actually represent. So it's clear that this philosophy isn't 50 00:03:57,520 --> 00:04:01,560 Speaker 1: just about objects or physical appearance. It's also about our 51 00:04:01,640 --> 00:04:06,600 Speaker 1: experiences and our lives. So every scar, every wrinkle, every 52 00:04:06,640 --> 00:04:10,560 Speaker 1: gray hair tells a story. They are a testament to 53 00:04:10,640 --> 00:04:14,600 Speaker 1: the life that we've lived, the challenges that we've overcome, 54 00:04:14,800 --> 00:04:18,440 Speaker 1: and the wisdom that we've gained, and they're all something 55 00:04:18,560 --> 00:04:23,000 Speaker 1: to be proud of. So by embracing Wabi sabi, we 56 00:04:23,120 --> 00:04:27,800 Speaker 1: learn to see our worth beyond the superficial. We start 57 00:04:27,839 --> 00:04:30,440 Speaker 1: to appreciate the journey that we're being on to get 58 00:04:30,520 --> 00:04:33,920 Speaker 1: us where we are now, we start to appreciate that, 59 00:04:34,320 --> 00:04:37,839 Speaker 1: just like the environment around us, the plants, the animals, 60 00:04:37,839 --> 00:04:41,039 Speaker 1: and the birds, that we too are part of nature. 61 00:04:41,760 --> 00:04:45,400 Speaker 1: And it's about finding contentment and peace in the present 62 00:04:45,480 --> 00:04:49,960 Speaker 1: moment and recognizing that our value lies not in perfection, 63 00:04:50,760 --> 00:04:55,840 Speaker 1: but in authenticity. So I invite you, next time you 64 00:04:55,880 --> 00:04:58,280 Speaker 1: look in the mirror to see something you wish you 65 00:04:58,320 --> 00:05:02,200 Speaker 1: could change. Remember the story of my friend at the beach. 66 00:05:02,720 --> 00:05:06,640 Speaker 1: Remember the stories and the beauty in the imperfect the 67 00:05:06,720 --> 00:05:10,680 Speaker 1: value of our impermanence and the wisdom that we've all 68 00:05:10,760 --> 00:05:15,360 Speaker 1: gained as we've aged. Embrace your own wabi sabi and 69 00:05:15,440 --> 00:05:20,440 Speaker 1: find the beauty in your perfect imperfections. Thank you so 70 00:05:20,560 --> 00:05:24,039 Speaker 1: much for listening, and I will catch you next week.