Life is about whether you have lived or not. With honesty and without hesitation, can you truthfully answer that question? Life is a journey to live, not a destination to reach. It does not matter if you are everything in one person’s eyes and simultaneously, nothing at all in anothers. What you are in your own eyes matters the most in life. Are you truly living life now? Do you give yourself a big hug at least once a day? Do you feel bad when someone does not like you? Have you realized yet that all experiences, good or bad in your life journey are your treasures? You might be walking through a desert alone, tired and thirsty, feeling dehydrated and on the verge of giving up. But you must keep on walking for survival, and nobody knows whether there is an oasis ahead or not. Another time, you might be walking on a beautiful beach with your true love partner, the sky is blue, seagulls are aloft, warm sand, cozy breeze, and you feel relaxed at peace and joy. In time, your journey road might get boring with nothing for you to do, and on another occasion, you might be excited with much good news around. You are always free to choose to stay and enjoy the views or keep moving forward no matter what is ahead of you. Destiny is in your own hands to decide what you want to get from your life journey. After all, you are the one who can tell whether you have lived or not. So say out loud what makes you feel you are living your life.
Life is about finding peace with yourself. Have you ever gone crazy and thrown your hands around in an attempt to make yourself feel alright, but it made you even more restless? It is ok to have those anxious moments. Next time, if you feel helpless or agitated, do nothing. Try to observe how restlessness creates edgy waves within you. It is the most valuable time to face your own emotion and to reflect on it naturally. There is no need to try hard to stop the restlessness by calling friends, watching a show, going out, or seeing your psychiatrist. Avoiding or hiding your feelings does not work. Part of your life is to find peace with yourself, and that includes many of your feelings and emotions. Don’t judge yourself, find time to sit quietly and with your inner thoughts, honestly, peacefully, and genuinely. The actual answers about life are inside you.
Life is about sharing the differences, not being the same.Over 7.7 billion people are living on earth today, engineers, doctors, police officers, teachers, professors, auditors, investors, politicians, actors, athletes, artists, farmers, workers, homeless people, orphans, and others. Everyone has the right and freedom to define their meaning of life, regardless of power, education, or financial status. A doctor will determine his or her life by focusing on diagnoses, surgery, conferences, patients, and saving as many lives as possible; an engineer might have a totally different insight about life, such as projects, promotion, recognition, or travel to different parts of the world. A scientist will strive to live a life through discovery, new research, future trends, and new findings; as you can imagine, different people see life differently. What about you? Are you an artist enjoying a unique and creative life? A fun-loving person might want to enjoy late-night parties. Might an athlete seek new techniques to gain celebrity status or new endorsements? A yoga teacher might devote the rest of her life to helping others find peace inside. So, whatever you do, enjoy it.
Mark: For me, life is about the path I have chosen to live. I wake up every morning with a simple motivation: I must make at least one person smile today, no matter what I do or where I might be. For the past thirty years, this small cause has become a faith for me. Making someone smile brings me happiness and satisfaction. I will turn 78 next month, and I am proud that I have brought smiles to many people. “You are the most cheerful person I have ever known,” said my gardener as he gave me a big hug. My sister said to me last month “You are the most inspirational and loving brother, and you helped me through the dark days when my son passed away last year.” My life purpose is to live through this life with a smile, with gratefulness, and with forgiveness.
Doug: I am surprised that most people in my circle do not believe their lives are meaningful enough. Some of my close friends think their lives are dark, challenging, and problematic. I never asked myself what life was before reading your blog. I have a good job and a happy family with a loving wife and two beautiful daughters. My parents had their 60th anniversary two weeks ago. “Life is being with someone you care for, for as long as you can,” said my mother when I asked her what life is to her and to dad. For me, life is about family together with good health, a comfortable house, support, tolerance, acceptance, forgiveness, love, and hope. I would not ask for anything else because life has given me more than I could have expected.
To Be Continued.