Who is calling the shots in your life? You? Your parents? Your spouse or your kids? Your boss, your co-workers, your kids’ baseball coach? Your friends or your enemies, perhaps?…All of the above?…
As you go through your day tomorrow, try paying attention to the tasks and activities you perform, with the intention of asking yourself ‘Why am I doing this?’ for each one…
You may find that answers come back something like ‘I have to’, or ‘If I don’t I’ll get fired’, or ‘Because I said I would’…even though many - maybe even all – of the activities are not things that you enjoy. If this does not describe you at all, then congratulations! You are living a life of joy and satisfaction based on pure design and your own personal choices. The average person, however, moves through each day without really considering why they are doing things, or for whom.
Always remember that each day is a little piece of your life. You cannot replace it nor can you live it again. If you were to carry on doing things others have asked you to do or expect of you, rather than things you are doing because you choose to and because they are reflections of who you are and what you want out of life, then whose life are you living?…and who is living yours?…NO ONE, that’s who.
Outspoken literary figure Cyrano De Bergerac, having noticed that the opinions and expectations of others were ever-changing and erratic, said “I am what I am because early in life I decided that I would please at least myself in all things.” Too often we see that others do exactly the opposite; they try and please everyone but themselves. This is not the path to a satisfying and fulfilled life. Unless you give some real thought to what pleases YOU, what YOU want and how YOU wish to live, then you are not on that path either.
It’s never too late! The next moment is always a fresh and new one. Invest in yourself and enjoy the rewards.
