When…Then…
“Oh, I can see it now…WHEN I accomplish my dreams, goals and desires, THEN life will be better…”
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, however, this statement is the biggest lie in the history of mankind! This is a fallacy that absolutely steals the joy out of living a life of power; peace and fulfillment for any and everyone who believes that life will be better ‘when’…
“When I get that job that I really covet, then life will be incredible.”
“When I win that Championship, then life will be perfect.”
“When I meet the love of my life, then life will be complete.”
“When I make more money, then I won’t have any worries.”
“When I move to the better place than where I’m at, then I’ll be happy.”
‘When’ and ‘then’ over and over again like a hamster running frantically on a wheel to nowhere. The sad truth of this statement is that most people completely buy into this really being the key to happiness. They are continually living their lives into a future of possibilities rather than realizing that NOW is all we ever have.
Don’t get me wrong, I truly believe that it is critical to dream about what you want your life to look like and chase it with all your might. Doing so is the essence of creating a deeper understanding of whom you are, what you are capable of, and breaking through the mental barriers that otherwise shackle us to lives of mediocrity and apathy. In living a life with goals and desires, every day can become a personal masterpiece knowing that you are moving one step closer to your objectives and being able to look in the mirror at someone you love, respect and admire.
However, the paradox of all this dream and goal chasing is that once the intended result is accomplished you realize that there is nothing there. As soon as it is done, besides relief and perhaps a brief sense of accomplishment, the very next thought that drifts into your now ‘hungry again’ psyche is, “Is this it? What’s next?” And off to the races you go again just like the hamster. It never ends and worst of all, you now know that the joy you thought you’d find in the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow just moved again.
If this is true, then were is the joy? Where do fulfillment and happiness reside? Where is the freedom to live with reckless abandon and revel in childlike exuberance? The answer lies within you. It lies in the statement that ‘life is lived forward…and understood backward’. It is realizing that it is not what you get in victorious triumph but rather who you became in the process of its achievement.
I believe it is the journey in which our fulfillment is discovered when we become aware of and embrace it. It is the ability to find pleasure and peace in each moment we are blessed to be alive…truly alive, and notice the moments that take your breath away. To love intensely, laugh out loud at the humor of this experience called life, cry when in pain and joy alike, and most importantly be grateful for ALL of it. It is not found in ‘yesterday’ or ‘tomorrow’ but the precious present called ‘today’.
Believe…