Day 93: 31.7 miles/1:50
“…I hope you live the life you are proud of; if not, I hope you have the strength to start over.” ~ “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
I am a firm believer that it is never too late to make a difference in your life. In the past few years there have been far too many people displaced from their jobs. Many of those people’s complete identity were their job and the company they worked for. Then, in an instant that connection, source of existence was gone. What’s left? A sense of loss, despair, disappointment, anger, and frustration.
Our lives, our purpose for being here are not connected to a job title, an organization, where you live, where you vacation or when you retire. Yet, many of us—me included—got all caught up in the stuff that we thought was important and not what is most important. What has occurred over the past two plus years is a challenge to all of us to explore what is truly important and to assess the life you are living and how appropriately you are living your passion and using your purpose.
If you are proud of the life you are living—awesome! It is likely many of you are. Those that are, have a clear sense of their purpose, their gift to others, and a joy that comes with being true to themselves, their values, and who they are. Living a life that is congruent with our passion and purpose is a life that gives and gets us energy everyday because we are sharing and celebrating what we have to offer.
For those who are not as proud, happy, content, chances are we have been denying our passion in pursuit of something else we think is important. Yet, even when we get there, we are not fulfilled. We are not fulfilled because we are chasing after things that seduce us, that distract us, and prevent us from doing and being our best. These things are not really important to us, though we often do not discover it until much later in life – when we lose a job, our spouse leaves us, or we lose a dear friend, or we get seriously ill. Then, we discover at our most vulnerable and honest moment that some things in life are not that important and there are some other aspects of life that are most essential.
If you are living a life you are proud of and you are using you gifts, talents, and skills in a manner that reflect your passion and your purpose – congratulations!! Keep it up. If not, it is never too late to change course and make a difference. There is nothing more satisfying, inspiring, and fulfilling than finding peace and happiness in being and living a life that is true to who you really are. I hope you can find the courage and the strength to start over – it will be and is worth it!!
