Aristotle said that living well was the end. And, yet today, at a time when our access to knowledge, information and technology are unsurpassed in human history; and our standard of living is higher than ever before, few of us are truly living well.
Too many of us begin and end our days with a feeling that something is missing from our lives. Some of us feel that we are at the end of our rope, because we are living and working faster than ever before, and yet the satisfaction, the fulfillment that we derive from our lives, our work, and our relationships is cursory.
Many of us are living longer, but even among those who have acquired the accouterments of success, fame and glory that are touted as the secret to happiness; the pain of living for the self alone, the anguish of not finding our true purpose in a life that is definitely short, and sometimes brutish is real. Sometimes that pain of those who have achieved wealth, fame and glory spills its way into the tabloids, and yet most of us do not stop and reflect upon the fact that happiness, peace of mind and fulfillment cannot be purchased or acquired, they must be felt.
And, while one could say that happiness is a choice; today the choice to be happy to live with our heads and hearts aligned, to march to a higher drummer by raising the bar on the way we think, live, love, work and spend our time seems to have been lost somewhere between the unprecedented velocity of change, challenge and competition we face in our lives and our work; and a type of generalized amnesia.
And, the march of unreason has infiltrated our popular entertainment, music, and our lives. We not longer listen to music, or seek entertainment that ignites our best thoughts, our deepest feelings, and evokes a sense of wonderment at the gift of life. Instead, the most popular television shows and movies are full of violence, meaningless relationships, sex without any type of attachment or emotion; and, they portray human beings who are living violent, chaotic, meaningless lives.
How many of us spend quality time with friends, neighbors or loved ones? How many of us go to bed at night with a sense of purpose, a palpable feeling that we have lived a great day, rather than having spent it by working and living faster than ever before? How many of us feel truly loved, cherished and valued? How many of us stop to question why the worlds wealth is in the hands of one percent of the worlds population, and dare to recognize that this seemingly illogical distribution of capital cannot ever create a pathway to true peace and prosperity? How many of us feel defined by our good jobs , rather than by who we truly are?
Perhaps it is time to recognize the unreason, the madness of a world that is tipping on the brink of chaos and destruction so that we can get unstuck and start living well.
True happiness is a function of finding our true purpose, and success is a function of creating value for others. True faith and courage are born of love, and without love for ours selves and for our fellow human beings the march towards the destruction of our world is real.
We can march, we can run, we can try to deny what is mirrored in our lives, our relationships, our communities, and our world; but we cannot truly hide. The writing is on the walls of all that we see, hear and feel. And, while we may be afraid of looking at what is wrong with our lives, it is only in standing naked with our truth and questioning the purpose of how we are living that we will start to find the answers.
Living well is something that starts with personal transformation, with a realization that what matters most is not what happens to us, but what we choose to do with it. The most difficult of circumstances or experiences can be transcended when we refuse to be a victim of what was, and start taking back our power to create and re-create what can be by striving to find our best self, our noblest thoughts, emotions and actions.
The secret to success and fulfillment are timeless. Create value for others, and you shall prosper and attain happiness. Love yourself more, and you will feel greater tolerance and love for your fellow human beings. Build a fence around yourself that protects you from the greed and ego of those who are not able to share and seek only to take, because sharing their company will not help you live well or create sustainable prosperity.
Every day presents us with a new opportunity to get unstuck, to remove the shackles that keep us bound to living and working on a collision course that is outstripping our energy, passion, purpose and potential. Every day presents us with an opportunity to begin again now to live well by letting go of what was, and determining what is and what will be.
The power to transform ones life means stretching out of the comfort zone of complacency, letting go of the shackles of victimization, self doubt or the pain of invalidation. And, it means taking back our power to share, to care, and to grow in alignment with our true purpose and potential.
Described by clients as a coach, confidant, sounding board, crisis manager and success guide, Irene Becker is the Chief Success Officer of Just Coach It, a professional coaching firm dedicated to helping smart, fast, forward thinkers build the new currency of success in their lives, their leadership and their work. See http://www.justcoachit.com
Wayne Dyer Meditation
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