HOW TO LIVE YOUR DREAMS EVEN IN THE MIDST OF CRISIS, CHAOS AND THE DAILY GRIND
It can feel really hard to be happy when we don’t feel like we are close to living out our dreams — or worse, when we’re not really sure that we even know what are dreams truly are. So often, I hear clients or team members express that if they were honest, they would say that their life is a mess. They feel overwhelmed, unmotivated and they don’t even trust themselves to know how to begin to fix it. In those moments, the future can seem hopelessly bleak and “looking for the silver lining” seems like hollow rhetoric.
In 2016, my youngest daughter was crushed by a boulder and not expected to live. Miraculously though, rather than becoming a lesson in how to face tragedy and death, this potentially deadly boulder became a powerful lesson in how to choose to live. In her 22 years before this encounter, my daughter Schuyler had probably done more to live her own bucket list than most people do by the time that they are 80. So yes, she had already lived —- fully and deeply — when along came this tumbling boulder that would change our lives forever.
Yes, Schuyler survived but as we all know, sometimes life needs to be fought for. Many of you who are reading this may not have felt the blow from a literal boulder. Yet, you may be facing your own form of crisis, challenge and pain. And so, we face the moment of decision — how do we choose to live in these moments? Through these moments, because yes, they are but doorways into new frontiers of opportunity. What now, we often ask? (And sometimes even, why me?)
So, you might say that in light of my positively grounded message and my current role as a 24/7 caregiver for my daughter, people often talk to me about bucket lists.
What ARE our bucket lists? For most of us, these bucket lists spotlight things that on some levels might at first glance appear to be HUGE — even “impossible”. They tend to be things that we intend to experience “some day” — when we have the money, the time, the freedom, when the Earth perfectly aligns.
But let’s take a look at those lists a bit more closely. Is it really the experience of jumping out of a plane that you are looking for? Is it physically setting foot in Nepal that will make your life complete?
Maybe, but at some deeper level, isn’t it the version of YOU that you believe that you will become in those moments that you truly seek? Isn’t it the feeling of being someone who is fearless, someone who is willing to believe in themselves so powerfully that they are willing to take that incredible leap? Isn’t it the feeling of acting in spite of our fear? Isn’t our hunger to experience distant lands a form of our desire to experience the feeling of becoming one with the beauty of the earth so profoundly that it truly stops time and takes our breath away?
Isn’t our desire to serve others in a grand way a manifestation of our undying passion to ultimately know that our life has made an impact? In order to believe that we have truly lived, don’t most of our bucket lists include the desire to somehow/some way unapologetically unleash our gifts, our greatness and find a way to create a happier, healthier planet for the generations that follow? Aren’t these things on our bucket lists simply items that we believe will finally allow us to get out of our own way, silence the critical self-talk and truly LIVE?
When we look at our bucket lists, the experiences look wonderful indeed but …. do we have to jump out of a plane in order to embrace our own capability to be bold? Do we have to journey to far away places (in a far away time) to experience the Earth’s grandeur and the profound beauty of mankind?
Yesterday, as I held the gait belt around my daughter’s waist as she practiced yet again relearning how to walk (still with a walker), I thought how precious each moment is on this planet.
You see, there will come a day —- hopefully sooner rather than later — when each of us has the opportunity to live some of those dreams on that bucket list. And yet, it is not only the experiences on that list that allow us to feel our power and to live with impact.
As we get up every day, we can choose to be fearless. We can create experiences all throughout our day that can positively transform the world and leave a profound impact. We can dare to embrace our obstacles with the same enthusiasm (ok, and perhaps a wee bit of terror) that we will possess as we stare at the earth far below the plane.
Today, no matter the challenges, no matter the grind, no matter the fear, no matter the circumstances, you DO have the opportunity to feel every one of the feelings on your bucket list.
Whether you are walking carefully down a pathway or jumping from a plane, the next moment is not a given — so live this current moment with fullness and with passion.
And when you realize that you have the potential to live your dreams today in your business, in your work, in your play and in every single aspect of your existence, the world becomes a treasure chest filled with opportunity and even the sky has no limit.
So why wait? Go eagerly beyond your superficial limits and today, choose to live that bucket list life. Be bold. Be brave. Be swept up in awe.
Because every life has power. Every life has greatness. Within you burns a flame that can never be captured, compromised or contained. You are meant to live a life so full that no mere bucket will ever be able to contain it.
So how will you choose to live your moments beginning today?
For more on our story or to hire Meridith as a speaker for your next event, please visit www.meridithalexander.com
Originally published at www.linkedin.com