Or someone who’s lost sight of his goals and dreams?
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What is your first thought every morning? Do you think the same thing? Do you think something different? When you rise from your slumber, do you actually rise from your slumber? Or do you merely get up and lead a faux existence? Who it is that you see in the mirror in the bathroom as you prepare for work or class? Is your reflection showing you, or someone you don’t recognize? Whose eyes stare back? What lives behind those eyes? Is this the real you, or is this a disguise?
We all lose sight of our goals sometimes. We strive. We fall short. We crumble under the weight of our own self-doubt. We fear the disappointment of others and are scared stiff. We are set adrift in a sea of self-pity, unable to swim in any direction. We let our troubles and our mistakes and our failures change us. We become bitter and angry. We hold resentment. We fall prey to the weaknesses of the human mind. Our stresses strangle and our anxiety becomes to unbearable that calmness becomes chaos; peace breaks into pieces that we struggle to put back together.
We all lose sight of our goals sometimes. We strive. We fall short. We crumble under the weight of our own self-doubt. We fear the disappointment of others and are scared stiff.
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We feel so fragile and so delicate, that just one more thing gone wrong, one more mistake, one more – just one more, and we will completely lose it. One more and our failures will consume us. The threat of ultimate personal destruction looms.
For some of us, this struggle is heightened by a predisposition for mental instability. We try to #TweetLikeANeurotypical, but we are judged and battered and told that we are over exaggerating. They tell us we are exacerbating our own problems, or that we are the cause of our own problems, or that if we want to be happy, we just have to be happy— that it’s that simple.
The base equation for a happy life does not change, but the factors we include sometimes must be rewritten and balanced so that the final result can be similar to the rest of those around us. Some people can fight their depression with a run every morning, others need to run and draw and join group therapy and take medicine, etc.
Know that this life is not perfect. That we, no matter who we are, WE are not perfect. Know that the equation that makes up some of our lives; that perfect balance of healthy, unhealthy, good, bad, love, hate, success, & mistakes— sometimes that equation needs additional factors. We need to talk with others. We need medicine to help balance the chemical imbalance. There is no perfect solution to every single one of our lives. We are all just trying to find our own way.
Yet, there are fundamentals that keep us alive. That keep us going. That make sure the first thing you think in the morning isn’t a distant, disheartened, painful, “…why?”
Ask yourself, “What do I want?” and DREAM BIG.
We are on an existential journey for our entire lives. We live to discern the reason we are here, and trust me when I tell you, we are all here for a very important reason.
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You are a human being. A creature capable of moral and ethical pondering. We are on an existential journey for our entire lives. We live to discern the reason we are here, and trust me when I tell you, we are all here for a very important reason. Ghandi said something along the lines of, “[In Life] whatever you do will be insignificant, but it is very important that you do it.” Every life, whether it lasts for years or seconds, changes the world around it. Ever action, likewise. And the fundamental truth is, that no one else is going to do what you do, right here and right now. So when you exist, when you live, when you speak and act, do so in a way that will make the world a better place. Remember, NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE. If you can dream it, it can be done. Don’t listen to the naysayers who tell you to “Be Realistic.” Realism is a concept, like Death; it’s there, but we can’t hold it, so is it truly real? And better yet, what is real? Live your life like it is your dream. Love unconditionally. Learn all that you can. Know that forgiveness is the single greatest gift that one can bestow. Even just a smile changes who we are.
Know that NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE, and know what that means.
The world is full of endless possibilities. Happiness is not a state that we obtain. We do not hold it through material wealth or accomplishments. We do not manufacture it through gifts and vacations. Happiness is a state of fulfillment; one reached not through just constant work, but through constant work towards a goal. I have more to say, but first you must read number 3.
We are not here for ourselves, but for each other.
It is not how we start our journey, or even how we end it—but the journey itself, that makes us whole.
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The choices we make and goals we attain are solely ours. We strive for completion and in reaching these dreams we attain happiness and peace. (If you have not, than you are not done yet. And bear in mind, some of us spend our entire lives chasing out dreams) What we do not understand though, is that though we may dream a dream, it is not the dream that gives us peace and happiness— it is our adventures.
It is not how we start our journey, or even how we end it—but the journey itself, that makes us whole.
We know so very little about our existence, and we are so very little in our existence. Yet, our lives are defined here, in this moment, at this time. We are born. We contemplate why. We struggle to find a place. We dream of a place that will give us happiness. We set out for that goal. We make mistakes. We get lost. We hurt others. We make amends. We find our way back. We continue our journey. We learn and grow. We reach our dreams and here at the end, we think we have become happy because we have finally arrived at our destination, but it is not the destination that fulfills us.
All paths intersect. We are creatures, living together, trying to find the best way to live this life. We are brilliant and wonderful and beautiful with unlimited potential. Some of us get lost and some of us are taken and no matter how long we search we may never know why that is. We must only do one thing…
Adventure.
Photo: RichardLey/Pixabay
I was 52 years old the day I said: “Enough! I cannot continue to live like this.” I had a great job that I enjoyed and I made a good living. I was successful by most standards until you looked just under the surface. There was misery. I was living a lie and doing my best to convince myself and everyone around me that everything was good when, in fact, I was dying inside. Then one day I could no longer face myself in the mirror. I took huge risks and changed everything. I left my career and moved across… Read more »
Hi Gavin, When I was growing up, I didn’t have a father per say, but my grandfather tried to fill in where he could; in love and in lessons. He was a kind man, a machinist— masculine, always smiling, a lover of butterflies and scuba diving. He used to call me the Doctor, because I would always be trying to help others and fix everything I could get my hands on or get myself involved in. The most valuable lesson he ever taught me, was that “The only person you have to impress in your life, is yourself.” The mirror… Read more »