Sacred Love - the Importance of Living on Purpose
On one of my many weird and expensive adventures on the path of
personal exploration, I decided to traverse a 30-day section of the
Himalayas, in Nepal. A friend of mine was famous for her journeys into
Tibet and Nepal, I idolised her achievements, and could see myself doing
the same. You know the thoughts, "I can do that, it looks really
easy".
About four hours into this 30-day expedition, after 6 months arduous preparation, I stopped in my tracks, sat down on my pack and began to cry. After months of training, thousands of dollars invested, getting all pumped up, promoting and chest thumping, I stopped, took off my pack and went into a tailspin. I thought to myself "What the hell was I doing out here trying to be somebody else, living someone else's dream?"
What became apparent was that I had outlived my own dreams. As a child in fairly humble circumstances, we dreamed of food on the table, a non-violent home, a good steady job and a loving family. It was now thirty years later, and I had achieved and lived all of my dreams. I was lost, and living other people's dreams because I had achieved all my own.
That day comes to everyone. I remember so clearly my father arguing with my brother, who had left school early to work as a sales clerk in a discount store, because he was about to quit his job. My father had grown up through the depression, and for him, this secure, safe, well-paid employment was as high as he thought my brother should aim. Kim was not convinced. He left the job, went to college part time, worked his way through the advertising industry, and twenty years later has worked throughout the world, built and sold his own multi million dollar company, and is now chairman of one of the leading advertising companies in the world.
My sister was in the same predicament. She left school early, became a dental nurse, graduated from NIDA in Sydney (The National Institute of Dramatic Art Sydney Australia), then married and went to London, where she studied law and became one of the worlds leading barristers. My father thought she was lucky getting that job as a dental nurse.
What we don't realise is that so many of our struggles in life come from being caught in families and friendships that see us as being limited. They measure us by their own perceptions of themselves. Nature's purpose in life is to grow us and sometimes we get caught in the belief that we have grown enough.
However, we measure our growth badly. We measure it by comparing ourselves to parents, and siblings and school friends. We become blinded to the spirit of nature within us. Growth in nature's language is the taking on of more responsibility. You can be absolutely sure when a person you know is experiencing a catastrophe, disaster, or a humbling circumstance in their life, because they have stopped growing. They have decided that peace and calm is more important than taking more responsibility. They have given up their dreams; they are listening to everyone outside of them telling them, like my loving father did, that it's better to be safe than sorry.
Your purpose is not measured in how much, but it is at the heart of your every intent. If your purpose is to help people heal, then if you hold that intent, everyday, the outcome is irrelevant. You will simply be asking yourself daily "How can I do more of what I love, for more people, and be paid well for it?"
About four hours into this 30-day expedition, after 6 months arduous preparation, I stopped in my tracks, sat down on my pack and began to cry. After months of training, thousands of dollars invested, getting all pumped up, promoting and chest thumping, I stopped, took off my pack and went into a tailspin. I thought to myself "What the hell was I doing out here trying to be somebody else, living someone else's dream?"
What became apparent was that I had outlived my own dreams. As a child in fairly humble circumstances, we dreamed of food on the table, a non-violent home, a good steady job and a loving family. It was now thirty years later, and I had achieved and lived all of my dreams. I was lost, and living other people's dreams because I had achieved all my own.
That day comes to everyone. I remember so clearly my father arguing with my brother, who had left school early to work as a sales clerk in a discount store, because he was about to quit his job. My father had grown up through the depression, and for him, this secure, safe, well-paid employment was as high as he thought my brother should aim. Kim was not convinced. He left the job, went to college part time, worked his way through the advertising industry, and twenty years later has worked throughout the world, built and sold his own multi million dollar company, and is now chairman of one of the leading advertising companies in the world.
My sister was in the same predicament. She left school early, became a dental nurse, graduated from NIDA in Sydney (The National Institute of Dramatic Art Sydney Australia), then married and went to London, where she studied law and became one of the worlds leading barristers. My father thought she was lucky getting that job as a dental nurse.
What we don't realise is that so many of our struggles in life come from being caught in families and friendships that see us as being limited. They measure us by their own perceptions of themselves. Nature's purpose in life is to grow us and sometimes we get caught in the belief that we have grown enough.
However, we measure our growth badly. We measure it by comparing ourselves to parents, and siblings and school friends. We become blinded to the spirit of nature within us. Growth in nature's language is the taking on of more responsibility. You can be absolutely sure when a person you know is experiencing a catastrophe, disaster, or a humbling circumstance in their life, because they have stopped growing. They have decided that peace and calm is more important than taking more responsibility. They have given up their dreams; they are listening to everyone outside of them telling them, like my loving father did, that it's better to be safe than sorry.
Your purpose is not measured in how much, but it is at the heart of your every intent. If your purpose is to help people heal, then if you hold that intent, everyday, the outcome is irrelevant. You will simply be asking yourself daily "How can I do more of what I love, for more people, and be paid well for it?"
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