There is something in each and every one of us that calls us to create a life of inspiration, to dream big and walk powerfully toward that dream, to make the difference we were born to make – even just to live a life less ordinary seems a given.
We are born with a natural capacity for and focus on, love and the world is a rich tapestry of possibility, enchantment, creativity, imagination, learning and magic. It’s as if there’s a homing signal inside each and every one of us that calls us toward a full and evolving sense of who we really are at our essence; the discovery of our own unique truth and the fullest expression of that truth with those we love and the world around us.
Then, one day we realise we have lost contact with that calling, that inner knowing and possibly even the sense of our truth altogether.
So, what the hell happened?
Where did all our dreams go, when did we stop drinking beautiful wine, walking on beaches and sharing our thoughts and feelings with others well into the tiny hours of the day? What happened to the quest to know our own heart and the heart and soul of others as well as we know the road to and from work or the children’s school gate? When did we stop BEING and start DOING and let that way of life become so much the norm, that when we meet someone who’s heart is wide open, we either find it startlingly attractive or a little annoying?
These are questions we all need to face on this beautiful, inspired and disturbing journey we call life.
The difficulty begins when we allow ourselves to be sucked in to the ‘vortex of action’ and take up residence there, such that we don’t even realise we have lost the sense of possibility, let go of our dreams, disconnected from the people we love, squashed our sense of wonder and magic, and lost contact with the essence of who we truly are.
Then, little by little, our activity levels and the consequent pace of life, creeps up and up, until going flat out becomes normal. It certainly was in my family and community, all of whom were unwitting victims of “creepage”. This is the insidious force that paves the way, indeed courts and seduces us, into the sticky trap of the action vortex, where the art and joy of simply being seem beyond our reach, even if we are conscious enough to know we have lost it.
We have been taught to value certain things, to think and feel certain things, to strive to achieve certain things by which our family, community, profession, religion or culture define success. Yet, if you sit at the bedside of a dying friend, rarely will you hear them express regret that they didn’t buy that house on the water, drive that Ferrari, work longer hours or take the promotion. If there is regret, it will be about the amount of times they didn’t say I love you to the people nearest, the hours they didn’t come home early from work, the energy that went into the business or promotion and not into family, the inner journey that never received adequate attention, the time not spent with children, and so on. Meaning doesn’t lie in things or material possessions – it lies within us and within our relationships!
It is my firm belief that all any of us really wants in this life is to love and be loved and to be known, loved and ‘got’ for who we truly are. In the final hour, little else matters!
So, no matter who you might feel has authored or influenced your journey, you have choices – indeed you’ve been making them all along. Consciously or otherwise, YOU have actually authored your life to this point, no matter how much you may wish to point the finger at someone else!
That realisation can feel like a bitter pill….AND the road to freedom all rolled into one!
You may not want to take full responsibility for the life you are currently living, but let’s face it, something in you made you pick up this book – and you have read through to this point!
So, maybe the still, small voice inside you that knows there’s MORE TO LIFE is still there and is patiently (or desperately) urging you to sit up and pay attention. The challenge is to know how to change things so you can once again rediscover the truth of who you are and live into all you were born to be. It is knowledge of the SELF that has the greatest bearing on an abundant, fulfilling and meaningful life.
If there’s one thing I recommend as a central and fundamental life lesson it is this…
KNOW THYSELF!
Invest in discovering the truth of who you are and share it boldly with the world.
Find the difference you were born to make and give your whole heart into the service of that difference, so you can impact the greatest number of lives in the most sustainable way and leave your true legacy.
