What is life truly all about?
I can’t control what happens in life. I can’t even understand all that happens or why it happens. What and why others do or don’t do or what their motivations are. Wish or try all I can, it can’t be done. It’s above my paygrade.
When I’ve been relentlessly diligent ¬– determined – courageous, my experiences have led me to conclude life is about broadening my perspective. Stretching myself so I’m comfortable emerging.
Being all I can be.
This naturally requires I accept, forgive, and love myself unshakably and unconditionally… To the point that regardless of what disruptions come my way, I accept that life is what it is.
I’m not called or tempted to overcompensate or undercompensate – I’m comfortable in my own skin.
Life is about my making the best of my journey – not arriving at some destination.
Living Full Tilt is about my journey’s experiences – I call it Life’s Greatest Adventure! Its greatness is not based upon accomplishment size, apparent value, or accolades of others. It’s about ME being my best me while accepting, forgiving, and loving myself without requiring acknowledgements or the blessings of others.
I begin Weekly Muse postings August 19, 2020, writing about discovering then experiencing what life is truly all about!
In my musings, I’ve focused primarily on accepting, forgiving, loving ourselves then letting it spillover, like ripples in a lake, reaching out first those closest, then radiating outward to everyone else.
I’ve shared how I’ve learned to find positive value in every moment. My experiences have taught that when I focus on life – moment by moment – I realize every step has a negative and a positive.
Each step comes at a cost but also brings me a gift.
In the beginning, I found it easy, tempting even, to focus primarily, if not occasionally solely on the negative. I felt the sorrow, pain, or regret accompanying the negative and its sting highjacked my attention.
I didn’t expect that giving it my attention also meant I gave it the energy to repeat and emerge in abundance. I discovered my focus was the fuel driving it to grow!
By visualizing each step of my journey as a gift, the recognition, joy, and success proved how important it is to choose the positive. I had previously learned it, but I let the sting highjack my focus, which led me deeper into a negative spiral downward – away from what I wanted!
And to me, I realized, again, I can write myself a new story. I can choose to learn, including exactly what it is I want to learn. I knew that – but let it slip away. In the sting of the moment, I forgot.
I’ve always had everything I needed to do that which I choose to do. But when I forget, I’ve got to learn it again. And that’s the purpose of this moment. To learn, again and again, until I’ve assimilated it thoroughly.
Then it becomes standard operating practice – My SOP!
The first positive SOP prepares me to establish an additional SOP. Before long, I became good – really good – at winging it. It becomes engrained in my mind that I’m loved. I’m important! Nothing can disrupt my essence for I choose how to respond – whatever happens – I choose how I respond!
I’m responding, assimilating, and growing.
My friends, that’s where the line of text comes into play.
Last week I shared how this image and a line of text: “… bright stars and interesting molecules are forming and being liberated” sparked my imagination.
Like a lightning strike, a flash of inspiration popped. It was similar to long ago, when I was 9, walking home from school, struggling with me feeling isolated and alone, when my vow struck like an ‘aha’ moment.
I envisioned a galactic nursery where stars form and begin to grow. They learn the ins and outs of being a star. They practice. Over and over, they practice and grow brighter. Bigger. More and more vibrant. Until they’re ready to leave home. To set out on their own. Be all that’s within them. Honor their Creator by being the best star they can be.
But to do that, the stars must first learn the ins and outs so they will be prepared when called upon to respond to the various situations they encounter.
It struck me that’s what I’m doing and have been doing for some time. Life is so much more than I was taught.
So much more than I ever imagined.
To paraphrase Steve Job’s last words: “Oh wow. Oh wow. Oh wow!”
Until We Meet Again,
Joe