As individuals we strive to live a life that means something, a life that when we breath our last breath we are completely fulfilled and leave the world peacefully, knowing we have accomplished all there was to accomplish. Looking at this ideal and looking at where we presently are, some of us might feel that somewhere along the line we have missed the mark, and settled into a life and personality we don’t even recognize.
As we grow up we think the world is our oyster and we are unconquerable; holding our dreams high in the air, we march proudly into the real world. Some of us face this after we graduate high school, some after graduating college, and others later on. But regardless of when this milestone happens in life, it brings the same “in your face” message, and that is it’s time to grow up. That’s right, fasten those boot straps and try to make it in a world so seemingly cold and hard.
We suddenly find ourselves swimming in pool of responsibilities. We have bills, we have relationships, we have commitments, and the list goes on. And what happens to our dreams of making it big on raw talent alone? It falls to the wayside. How did growing up ever translate into leading a boring, unfulfilling life? Instead of moving forward with the life that we wanted, we move forward on the life that others tell us we should have, the life that is more practical, the life that provides security, or the life we don’t even know how we fell into!
One of the hardest things in the world to do is brush away our “so called responsibilities” and push everyone we love and care about aside to ask ourselves the cold hard question of, “What do I really want?” And the truth is many of us don’t even know what we want anymore as we’ve been so conditioned by what we think we should want.
Part of being fearless in action is taking the bold step to listen to our heart. It can be scary to listen to our own self as for so long we’ve been ignoring that nagging voice within. It can feel shameful as we’ve ignorned who we were or wanted to be. But it can also feel exhilarating to finally let loose the dreams we’ve been nursing since childhood.
Now let’s say you know what it is you want to do and you even know how to get there, what is stopping you now? Is it finances, a relationship you may not even want to be in, family pressure, not knowing the right people or having the right resources? Each of these can be grouped under one category, and that is ‘Excuses.’ We can’t blame anyone but ourselves for the reality we are living, this cold hard truth is difficult to accept…trust me I know first hand. But we can today make a resolution to put ourselves first, not allow the opinions or motives of others to sway us and stand firmly in the recollection of who we once wanted to be.
Nothing is hard in the world to achieve or acquire once you have to goods to back you up. With this being said, is there a longing inside of you that has been silenced? Perhaps the desperation of an aspiring writer, musician, teacher, nurse, architect, or something else? Each of us has this, whether we are aware of it or not. We all aspire to be great, and we all aspire to that which naturally comes to us. In essence we aspire to be ourselves. Doing that work which fully resonates with our personality, comes easily, is joyful, and is more importantly most optimal for the evolution of our soul, is what a yogi would call swadharma. Swa meaning our own, and dharma referring to duty and righteousness.
The most righteous duty we can perform is that which makes us happy and gives peace to our soul. God and dharma are one, so in essence if we perform our dharma to our highest capacity, we are honoring God who has taken the form of the “actor” and the “action” itself. Performing our swadharma allows us to question the innate abilities we possess within and reflect on the power that not only sustains the individual but the actions the individual takes. Just as a musician, a writer, or a doctor realizes that the precision of their talent doesn’t actually belong to them but is wielded by them, we too begin to realize that true power and talent finds its source in God who is the Self in all. The closer we come to God, the more our path and its perfection is revealed to us. Coming closer to Spirit therefore means coming closer to who we are, and coming closer to who we are means unleashing divine potentcies in the form of talents and creativity…this entire process is called “Aspiring to You!”
Now here comes the hard part, what if you don’t know how to Aspire to You, as you don’t know “you?” Well, I am here to help and ask a few questions you will find at the end of this blog. The point of this questionnaire is to encourage all of you to not live a life of mediocracy, but a life that exudes greatness–greatness on your own terms.
Therefore the first step in not settling for life but living life is defining our greatness. Each of us have very different perspectives on what success is and how it translates in our life. One person may find success in staying at home caring for their children, while another may deem success as being the founder of a Fortune 500 company. This illustration shows no two persons in this world share an exact definition of success.
Each of us have very different goals, dreams, and overall ambitions in life, and nature wouldn’t have it any other way. How boring life would be if we all wanted the same things and pursued the same paths. “Variety is the spice of life,” so here we are going to figure out what your spice is!
It’s also important to understand that no amount of personal success is ever greater or lesser than another individual’s success, hence we call it “personal.” We all have a role to play in life and if we were all trying to be casted as the star of Romeo or Juliet, then the production could never happen. In the same way the production of life could never go on if each of us didn’t have a distinct role to portray. The supporting actor is just as important as the lead actor, and though at times we may think we are followers in life playing a supporting role, you must know that you are always the star in your story.
Each of us has a story we create every single day. The compilation of all our stories is life. We wield complete power within us to change our stories. Coming back to the metaphor of the “play,” we are not only the actor, but we are the screen play writer, the director, and the entire support staff—our creative energies power the entire production.
So with this it’s time to get our elbows dirty, put our thinking caps on, and begin Aspiring to You!
Beginning the VISIONING PROCESS:
1. How do I define “success” in my life?
2. What makes me happy?
3. What makes me unhappy?
4. I feel the most at peace when I…
5. If I woke up one day and my life had everything I ever wanted in it, it would look like:
6. What prevents me from having this now? What are my obstacles?
7. I believe I was placed on this earth for a specific purpose and that is…
8. What is my personal “vision statement?”
9. What is my personal “mission statement?”
The purpose of this exercise is to reclaim the momentum and zest we have for living the life we always wanted. So take your time with this and truly reflect on the last two questions as this sets the tone for the way you choose to live the rest of your life!
Love,
Priyanka
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