Once upon a time…
Craig and Louise were convinced that life would be better after they were married, had a baby, and then another. Then they became anxious and frustrated that the kids were not old enough – they’d be much more content then. After that, they were frustrated that they had teenagers to deal with. One was eating them out of house and home and the other was always crying about what people said. Ugh! They’d certainly be happy once they’re out of that stage.
Louise thought to herself, “life will be so much more complete when Craig gets his act together and goes for that promotion”. Craig thought he’d feel so much more fulfilled with a nicer car, then they could finally go on that road trip holiday they’d been talking about.
As Craig arrived home from his retirement drinks, he looked into Louise’s empty stare. For so long it had seemed that life was about to begin – real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way, something to get over first, some unfinished business, time to still be served, a milestone to be reached, or a debt to be paid… then life would begin.
In that moment, it instantly dawned on Craig that these obstacles in his life were his life. He had spent this life …waiting. Waiting until he finished school, until he started work, until he fell in love, until he got married, until he lost 5kgs, until he gained 5kgs, until he had kids, until the kids left home, until Friday night, until Sunday morning, until the rain came, until the sun came out, until the mortgage was paid off, until the winter, until the summer, until the election, until the economy was better, until it felt safe… but in reality, the truth was… he never lived. He was only ever in the expectation of living.
“Stop waiting for creative inspiration. Start creating and inspire yourself along the way.”
― Ryan Lilly
Moral of the Story:
There’s no better time to be happy than right now. If not now, when? Your life will always be filled with challenges of some kind, or you wouldn’t be here at ‘Earth School’. Accept your lessons and decide to be happy anyway. Be grateful for what you have now while you pursue your heart’s desire. If you aren’t grateful for what you already have, what makes you think you would be happy with more. Stop giving other people the power to control your happiness, your mind, and your life. If you don’t take control of yourself and your own life, someone else will. If you have a strong purpose in life, you don’t have to be pushed. Your passion will drive you there. Do not set aside your happiness. Do not wait to be happy in the future. The best time to be happy is RIGHT NOW.
You were not born to be mediocre. Be brave enough to live the life of your dreams according to your vision and purpose instead of the expectations and opinions of others. Time waits for no one. Instead of worrying about what you cannot control, shift your energy to what you can create. Ideas don’t come out fully formed, they only become clearer as you work on them. If everyone waited to become an expert before starting, no one would become an expert. To become an expert, you need experience. To get experience, you must experiment. Stop waiting. Find what lights you up and get into it. Believe in your heart that you’re meant to live a life full of passion, purpose, abundance and happiness.
“Some people say they have 20 years experience, when in reality, they have 1 year’s experience repeated 20 times.”
― Stephen Covey
Affirmation: I create my life with passion and purpose.
I am dynamic and full of energy. I am passionate about what I do. I am committed to living my life to the fullest. I eagerly follow my heart and achieve my goals effortlessly. Each day I think bigger and bigger about what I can contribute to the world. I act now. I am a doer. I take charge and get things done. I am always moving forward and making progress. I get more out of life with each passing day. I think big and take decisive action. I choose to make disappointment drive me to become even more. I am reaching higher and further each and every day. I am moving towards massive achievements. I am aiming higher and achieving more than I ever could have imagined.
“Wait. This was the first lesson I had learned about love. The day drags along, you make thousands of plans, you imagine every possible conversation, you promise to change your behaviour in certain ways – and you feel more and more anxious until your loved one arrives. But by then, you don’t know what to say. The hours of waiting have been transformed into tension, the tension has become fear, and the fear makes you embarrassed about showing affection.”
― Paulo Coelho
