I had no idea I had a hidden theme until I was confronted with it by my ex-girlfriend.

My ex-girlfriend was all about confrontation. Which is one of a thousand reasons why she’s my ex.

In this case, however, her confrontation was the mildest and most helpful of our short-lived relationship.

We had both recently graduated from college. One day, she asked me what I wrote all my college papers about.

“What do you mean?” I said. “I was an English major. I wrote papers about a million different topics.”

“But what were they all about?” she asked. “What was the one theme you kept writing about again and again?”

I had to think about this for a bit. I hadn’t been aware I’d had a common theme. I wasn’t sure there was one. But after some contemplation, I realized that there was a theme, one I kept coming back to again and again.”

In my case, the theme was language’s ability to point to something beyond language.

I hadn’t yet discovered the spiritual path, so I wasn’t yet aware how potent this theme was for me. Nevertheless, having my theme uncovered brought it front and center.

I was able to contemplate it. To consider its relevance to my life.

And then, just a couple years later, I stumbled upon the spiritual path. And my college-paper theme made a lot more sense.

(BTW, my ex’s theme was about how only an elite number of people are qualified to instruct the masses. I’ll just leave it at that.)

Just recently, Melissa and I realized that we are drawn to movies about sports. Neither one of us considers ourselves particularly sporty, so this realization came as a bit of a surprise. But thinking of it in terms of themes, it makes sense.

Running a spiritual non-profit is not unlike a sports career. You’re up against constant obstacles, including internal ones. To succeed, you need to focus and visualize your success. Most importantly, the game goes a lot better if you relax and have fun!

Realizing our sports theme allows us to use this theme to improve our lives, especially the part about relaxing and having fun! And it makes sports movies that much more fulfilling when we watch them.

So here are some questions for you:

1. What theme did you focus on again and again in school – or life in general?

2. What theme are you drawn to in movies/books/television shows?

3. How have these themes shown up in your life?

4. Are there any aspects of these themes that cause problems or that you’d like to change?

5. If so, how can you implement these changes in your life?

Happy Sleuthing!

What are your hidden themes? And how have they shaped your life? Share your comments below!

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