The world is always ready to tell you who to be. Parents, teachers, friends,
members of the clergy all seem to have their opinion of who you are, what you
should do, how you should act, what should be important to you and who you will
be.
But when someone else is telling you about your life, no matter who they are or
how innocent, loving and caring their intent, they just don’t know.
They don’t what is in your heart. They don’t know your hopes, desires and
dreams. They don’t know your purpose. They don’t know what you can or
cannot accomplish in your life. Only you do.
It’s only you. You are the only one who knows what your life should be. You are
the only one who knows who you will be.
But how often do we look to others for the answers to our own lives? How often
do we look to others for guidance? And while others may give you advice and
they may tell you of their experiences, they are not in your shoes. They are not
part of your creative energy. They are living a different vibration than you are.
You are the only creator of your life experience.
No one else can make the decisions for you that will bring you happiness and
joy. Only you can. Yet, often through fear or apprehension, habits or
socialization we forget that we are the ones who know what is best for ourselves.
The voices of the world, including the people that we love, our friends, family and
even the media, movies, and advertising drown out the voice inside of us that is
giving us our real guidance. Sometimes we even ignore our own intuitions to
follow someone else’s lead.
But if we are to truly find joy and happiness in our lives we need to learn to
follow our own guidance.
“The wisest follow their own direction.”
~Euripedes
There are always clues as to what will bring you joy in life. We all have passions.
We all have things that we would do “no matter what.” We all have things that
make our hearts sing and bring fullness to our lives. There are always the things
that call to us, the things that make us feel passionate and excited, happy and full
of life. They are the things that we enjoy, the things that come easy to us.
And that is your clue.
When you have the good feelings, the feelings of joy, passion and happiness
you are on the right track. It could be no other way if you really think about it.
Human beings will almost always choose what feels best, what feels right and
good if left to their own devices. It is the way we are designed, the way that we
know what is best. It is only when we are following some one else’s guidance or
an arbitrary set of rules that we start believing, thinking, acting and even feeling
as if life should be a struggle.
Life was never meant to be a struggle.
Look at nature. Everything happens in perfect harmony, effortless and easy.
Plants do not struggle to grow. Animals do not fret and worry about the food that
they will eat. They just do, whatever they have
to do, and whatever happens is just part of
life. Life was never meant to be a struggle.
We can see those lessons in nature. The Life
we see in nature never goes against it’s own
instincts. There are no questions. In nature
everything is what it is:
● An elephant never tries to be a Zebra.
● A zebra’s mother never tries to get it to become a monkey.
● A daisy never tries to be a pine tree.
And when we look at nature even in the face of destruction and tragedy, nature
always comes back to what it is, just as beautiful as ever.
I recently saw a beautiful photograph. It was taken in the forest in what looked
like an early spring storm. The clouds in the background were gray and full. The
trees, which were Quaking Aspen, were stark black, white and gray and at the
bottom of the photo was the most brilliant green and pink of new flowering
blooms. It was breathtaking. I was drawn to the beauty of the photograph and as
I got closer I was able to read the caption that had been provided.
The photograph was of the new growth that came after a devastating forest fire.
That was the reason why the aspens were black and gray. That was the reason
why it looked like early spring before the leaves came back on the trees. There
were no leaves but the wild flowers were coming back, the foliage was
reemerging. The natural beauty of the forest was returning.
Even in the face of devastation, nature always comes back. It doesn’t struggle.
It never tries to be something that it is not. It just comes back as beautiful and
strong as ever, just as it is.
Life is not supposed to be a struggle.
When you do what you love to do and when you follow your own guidance, life is
not a struggle. And even though there will be difficult times, like the plants in the
forest you can rejuvenate and renew. Your life can become what you want it
to be. There is always enough time to make a change when you really want to.
So find what you love, do what feels good, follow your own council and decide
your own life. Disregard the opinions of the world and the opinions of other
people. They aren’t living your life. A passionate pastry chef with a law degree
will find more joy, happiness and success than a dispirited and unhappy lawyer.
A passionate writer or an inspired artist who just happens to also have a degree
in medicine will find more joy, happiness and success than an unhappy doctor.
Find your passion…
● Regardless of what has come before.
● Regardless of what the world says you should be.
● Regardless of what happens.
.
Life is not supposed to be a struggle.
When you do what you love to do and when you follow your own guidance, life is
not a struggle. And even though there will be difficult times, like the plants in the
forest you can rejuvenate and renew. Your life can become what you want it
to be. There is always enough time to make a change when you really want to.
So find what you love, do what feels good, follow your own council and decide
your own life. Disregard the opinions of the world and the opinions of other
people. They aren’t living your life. A passionate pastry chef with a law degree
will find more joy, happiness and success than a dispirited and unhappy lawyer.
A passionate writer or an inspired artist who just happens to also have a degree
in medicine will find more joy, happiness and success than an unhappy doctor.
Find your passion…
● Regardless of what has come before.
● Regardless of what the world says you should be.
● Regardless of what happens.
