Every day it seems that there is a news story of someone who has lost their life. It is tragic and often sad to hear about the demise of another human being. Life is a gift and unfortunately the loss of life is the worst reminder of all to that fact. Reality is we will all lose our life in the end but living our life while we have it is a seemingly rare event. Too many of us have decided somehow to merely exist.
With that reminder ask yourself how can you be given this gift and not maximize it? In my opinion, if you aren’t maximizing the experience of life you merely exist. Sure we can all get caught up in the myriad of routines and just getting things done. Our current circumstances and our perceived limitations can also discourage us. We can begin to believe that this is the best that we can do because we have tried and failed so many times. Any of these things can lead to us merely existing.
Do Not Merely Exist
My request to you is to look into the window of your soul with a truthful eye and ask yourself; do I merely exist? Are you maximizing the life you have been given or are you going through the motions? Going through the motions can be described as just surviving. You pay your bills, you eat your meals, you go to work, and you come home and watch TV.
Yes, every now and then you go on vacation or you go out and have some fun, but you don't do either nearly enough. You've stopped gaining knowledge and you've stopped growing as a person. Your relationships are no longer growing. You've lost your passion. You've become pessimistic, which you have decided to call being realistic. That is the definition of existing.
The Definition of Living the Dream
Living the dream involves determining what your passions are and then following them. It involves you sharing your gifts with the world in an effort to make this world a better place just because of your existence. Living the dream is finding a way to experience love to its greatest extent. It is being at peace with decisions you make, have made or will make. It is being able to truly forgive so that you can move forward. Living the dream is always being aware and mindful. It is taking every failure as an opportunity to learn and make you a better person. It is being optimistic that the gift of life was bestowed upon you because you deserve to live a good life. Living the dream is knowing you are a creator and creators create. Living the dream is a belief that you are the right person, at the right place, at the right time. Living the dream means you will continue to grow until your last breath on this earth.
Many people wrongfully believe an abundance of money is required to live the dream. Money may make life better because of the access it provides but it doesn’t guarantee you will be living the dream. Living the dream is much deeper that money. It is also much deeper that other people’s perceptions, thoughts or actions. Living the dream is something you own. It is a mindset. It is a mindset that will ultimately help determine your success in life.
Every Moment Counts
The only guarantee we have in life is that nothing is guaranteed. You can be here today and gone tomorrow. You can be living the dream or merely existing. Unfortunately too many people have chosen either consciously or subconsciously to merely exist. You should strive to live the dream. You should not strive to live the dream just for a day, week, month, year or decade. You should strive to live the dream moment by moment. Life is built off of moments.
When you merely exist you find yourself losing out on so many moments of life. Some of you fall into the trap of believing it will change when some significant moment will happen. You’ll be living the dream when you get married. You’ll be living the dream when you get promoted. You’ll be living the dream when your business explodes. You’ll be living the dream once you get your bills paid. You’ll be living the dream when you go on vacation this summer. I could go on and on with examples of milestones we place on life that we believe will make things better.
The funny thing about life is it can better in an instant. The instant you decide to believe your life is better it will be. The reason that statement is true is because no one else can decide how good your life is because no one else can think for you. You can think of life any way you want to. You own your own mindset. Don’t let your outside circumstances dictate your mindset. If you’re life isn’t exactly where you want it to be then take a moment to acknowledge that it can be if you put your mind to it. Then look for every little example you can that your life is getting better. Each one of those moments where you believe your life is getting better will change the way you think. Those moments will build up and multiply. Those moments will grow so large that you will find yourself living the dream much sooner than you think.
Actions You Should Take
Now it may seem daunting to determine where to start living the dream. Your life has different circumstances in different areas of your life. If you aren't sure where to start here's some advice on how to start.
Ø Pick an area of your life you'd like to work on (Emotional, Occupational, Physical, Spiritual, Intellectual, Social)1
Ø Think about how that area of your life is now and how you'd like it to be. Do not take this lightly. Really spend time delving into your thoughts about the area you chose.
Ø Write down your goal for that area of your life. Writing down lets your subconscious mind know you are serious.
Ø Take action towards reaching your goal. Remember it is a mindset; therefore you need to be taking actions that improve your mindset. Set reminders, build plans, create new habits, and reach out to experts for advice. You decide on an action and take it. Take many actions. Doing something is always better than doing nothing.
Ø Believe.
We’ve been given a rare gift and that is the gift of living this life. Take action now to make sure you aren’t doing that gift a disservice by merely existing. Take action now to change your mindset to live the dream. Good luck and I look forward to hearing about how you are living the dream. Use the hashtag #livethedream to let the world know you are doing so. As always enjoy the journey!
With gratitude,
Drew
1The Six Dimensions of Wellness, 1976 Bill Hettler, MD, Co-Founder, National Wellness Institute
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please add your comments: