J D Salinger was one of the greatest writers of all time.
Trust me, calling him a genius would be an understatement. He was a totally different species.
But the weirdest thing about him was: that man was a ghost. A total recluse. A hardcore introvert.
I mean, no one ever saw him. Like ever. No pictures, no interviews, no public viewings.
After one of the greatest books of all time, ‘Catcher in the Rye’ got published, he gained instant popularity in the 1950s. He became a teen idol. A true rockstar.
He was like the Kardashians of that era. But private as hell.
Everyone wanted a piece of him, interview him, take pictures with him.
They wanted to know every bit of his life: how he wrote, where he wrote, what he ate, where he slept.
And the reason behind that was: his writing was soooooo good.
If you haven’t read ‘Catcher in the Rye’, you’re missing out on one of the greatest books in literature.
No writer in history had generated so much hype and interest like Salinger did.
But, you know what Salinger did?
He disappeared.
He gave no interviews, never met anybody, no one knew where he lived, no pictures, nothing.
He was a ghost.
Conspiracy theories popped up everywhere. People went crazy over him. ‘Catcher in the Rye’ got banned in many countries. Which further fueled his cult status.
But, Salinger was never seen again.
Salinger went down in history as not only one of the greatest writers, but also one of the most reclusive personalities.
What made him behave like that?
He could have gotten anything he wanted. Money, fame, celebrity status, big budget Hollywood movies. But he left all that behind to live a quiet private life.
Why?
Let me explain.
Your Soul is Built Different
JD Salinger was an introvert. Just like you.
And very, very intelligent and aware.
Deep down in his heart he knew, if he gave in to the ways of the world, he would lose his soul.
And his soul didn’t allow him to become a sellout.
He knew it would have changed him. It would have diluted his raw talent. It would have made him ordinary. Just like everybody else.
So he chose his art over fame, money, and attention.
But, what about you?
Do you even know who you are?
I mean, seriously, do you?
We spent most of our lives imitating other people. Chasing trends.
This looks cool, let me try that.
This is popular right now, let me do this.
Look how many followers this influencer has, I bet I can do that too.
But, do you ever ask yourself:
“Is this really me?”
We love celebrities and influencers because they’re doing what feels true to their soul.
You are not them. They are doing their own thing. They are doing what works for them. They are doing what they are good at. Shit that they find easy and effortless.
And the reason you feel like you’re not good enough is that you’ve never tried to connect to your own soul.
Have you?
You think you lack something. You think if I change this or do that, things will get better.
No. They won’t.
You will keep going around in circles chasing the next shiny thing.
And the first step towards discovering your own genius is to pause.
For once, stop doing things.
You can’t see the bottom if you keep splashing the water. Let the mud settle. And then, you will see.
You’ll see who you truly are.
Things that make you different. Things that make you special.
Your gifts.
Your talents.
Your skills.
Your magic.
Your genius.
You have so much depth and intelligence hidden inside you. Trust me, it’s there. And you know it too.
That subtle feeling of just knowing things. You just get it. Without even thinking about it.
You know when a person is lying. You know when something is about to go wrong. You know when a person is about to ask you for a favor. You know what the other person is going to say in their next reply.
I can go on and on.
But my point is, what do you think that is?
Have you ever paid attention? Have you ever tried to explore it deeply?
It’s only about 0.000001% of what you’re truly capable of.
Your mind is capable of accessing the same dimensions that gave Newton the laws of gravity.
That gave Nicola Tesla the electricity.
That gave Haruki Murakami his stories.
That gave Emily Dickinson her poems.
That gave Van Gogh his paintings.
Your soul has the same DNA that these famous introverted people had.
But, what’s stopping you?
Its just this: A total 100% self-acceptance.
Stop lying to yourself.
Stop chasing fads and trends.
Stop acting like someone you’re not.
Embrace your own thoughts and feelings. Start respecting your own intelligence.
Those hunches and gut feelings and inner-voice are all signs of your soul trying to tell you something.
Let go of your distractions and pay attention.
It has all the answers you seek.
Isolate yourself for a little while. Just do it. Think. Think with a pen and paper in your hand.
Trust me, it’s simple. Very, very simple. You don’t know it because you haven’t tried it.
But, when you drop everything from the outside, and embrace what’s inside, that’s when the path reveals itself.
A path to your soul’s purpose.