Photo: Umit Yildirim
Day 2828 – Day 2832
You may have noticed that the website is changing and things are moving around and some posts are going to no longer be available. I’m envisioning some ideas for the future of this project and this will mean editing the website. It might be under construction for a while.
It makes me think about the way that the self-help movement and the new spirituality gurus can leave us always feeling like a human-becoming, work-in-progress, never-quite-enough person. If you’ve ever lived in a house under construction, you know how uncomfortable that can be.
Last year, I spent some time depressed because I felt I had not fulfilled my potential – despite the many, many, many accomplishments I have achieved. This has been a theme in my life borne from parents who motivated achievement by pointing out failure. I grew up never really savoring the moment of an achievement, before moving on to build the next accomplishment. I suspected that I was not alone and I asked around. Whether it was a specialist surgeon, a multiple time New York Times bestselling author, a leadership coach, artist, accountant or grocery clerk – nobody I spoke to felt that they had reached their potential and it causes them some regret. This is the human tragedy of the spirituality and self-improvement machine.
Our potential is infinite; we can never reach the apex. As we grow, so does our potential. We must not live our lives under construction.
I encourage you, dear reader, to do everything in your power to shift your mindset from believing that you are a human-becoming, and come to understanding the truth of yourself as a human-being. And, as a human being, the only place we can BE is in the present moment.
Let’s not waste our time with regrets about the past or yearnings for a seemingly elusive future. It’s trite but true: life is about the journey and not the destination. As we spend this month looking at Purpose (capital P, of course) and MEANING (OMG!), we can get caught up in the comparison game with our peers or where we thought we should be.
We may have a yearning within, because we have a sense of how great our gifts are. And still, where we are at – right now – is the only gift that ultimately matters. It is the gift of the present moment.
Yes, I encourage you to refine your values and your vision, but as long as we are fully present with what is happening right now, and as long as we make our choices in alignment with our values and vision, we are fulfilling the potential that this moment holds for us, and we are building our characters to take best advantage of the next. Do the work, keep to the practices and enjoy life, now.
I hope you will also enjoy the changes that are coming with this website and with this project, and for now, let me just say: Thanks for visiting and being a loyal reader. It gives my life meaning to be able to write for you, to encourage you to stay the course of the practices and live your own purpose, in a meaningful way for you.
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