Living It Right
I don’t know about you; but for a lot of years, I felt like I had done nothing important or extraordinary. I felt that I was supposed to do something great or I would have wasted my life. Only that I had no idea what that was.
Years later I came to terms with the reality that our idea of “something great” has been shaped by movies, actors, philanthropists, society, and super heroes. If you are not donating your time and or money to a worthy cause you are not a good person or you are not making a difference. Also, we somehow came to believe that if we didn’t make a lot of money in the process…then we have not been successful. I’m speaking generally, of course.
So, I asked myself, what is something great? Do I really have to do some extra ordinary thing in my life to feel that I have lived it right? Am I making a difference? Who decides what is great? At the end…What is really important?
Tough questions with no easy answers. Then I went to the What if’s?…What if I shed all my preconceived beliefs? What if I start living the life that I want? What if I live a guilt free life? What if I free myself of self-imposed expectations?, and What if I make a difference by doing it my way?
This is not something that I could accomplish overnight. It took time and patience. However, I was determined to revamp my life.
At the time, I was doing work that I plainly and simply hated to do. That work represented a healthy chunk of my income so I was reluctant to let it go. My life coach kept telling me to just quit doing it. Her take was that those jobs were sucking my energy in a way that I was stuck, and that the moment I freed myself up from those chains, opportunities would come my way. She was right! Not unlike what I had done in my personal life only a couple of years before.
I began visualizing the lifestyle I wanted and then took steps to make it a reality. Basically, I bought the ticket. I no longer dream about imaginary “bucket lists”… I just do! I live my dreams. I can say that it’s amazing to watch how the universe provides when you manifest your desires.
As a matter of fact, a few months ago in Spain, when I was on the sacred Camino route to Santiago de Compostela, I was given a bracelet that said just that; “Don’t dream away your life, Live your dreams”. This bracelet was meant to fall off by itself when I no longer need the message. My bracelet fell off not even 24 hours later. I took it as a sign that I am living my dreams. Well…I thought it pretty cool.
I do realize that I’ve been blessed in many ways in my life. I now think that those blessings are gifts that are not to be wasted. It’s like rejecting a gift if I do. I believe it is my responsibility to live the best life I am able to live, and to live it now. The extra ordinary thing to do in this one life I’ve been given is to live it to the maximum. I don’t have to do something fantastic to help humanity; instead perhaps, help one person at a time, and in the process, help myself.
I do believe that we can change the world by helping one person at a time. Mainly by helping them achieve their own happiness.
The truth is that I agree with Neale Donald Walsch, author of “Conversations with God” who I have quoted here several times. He once said that we feel our happiest when we’ve helped someone else be happy. Bingo! That is when we truly fly. It could be by bringing a smile to the face of someone that is feeling down. It could be by offering company to someone that is feeling lonely. It could be by being kind to someone that may be feeling unwanted or unliked. It could be by praising someone that is feeling unworthy or low in self esteem. It could also be simply to show someone, by example, how to live without fear.
Is it an extraordinary life? I guess it’s a matter of opinion; but I do know that it is extraordinary to me. I firmly believe that when we act with kindness and mindfulness, it is always paid forward.
That’s how one person, any person, can change the world one random act of kindness at a time. That, in itself, is already extraordinary.
