So what happens when we don’t “design” our life? Perhaps we find ourselves in a career we don’t find satisfying, or even interesting, anymore. Perhaps we have that lingering regret over the opportunity not taken out of fear of failure, of being ridiculed. Perhaps we wake up one day and wonder how we got here – we didn’t plan at all. One thing happened after the next, and we just reacted from day to day, feeling that we didn’t (and still don’t) have control over what happens to us. Or when we really sit down and think about it, we realize we have been living a pattern of habits. Habits learned over a lifetime, perhaps first learned as a child from our parents, then built upon and reacted to over the years without thinking “why?”
In all the subtle ways that bad habits, small disappointments, little failures, and minor setbacks build up over time, we may wake up one day and discover a wall of regret, what-ifs, that keep us from finding freedom in our own true self.
A Hindu teaching asks us to consider an acorn. Looking at that seed, there is no indication of the majestic tree it could become. The most thorough chemical analysis makes no discovery of the enormous beauty and life of the tree the seed contains. No dissection finds a trace of the larger benefit of the tree existing – the habitat provided to countless birds, bugs, microbes; the amazing jobs the tree will perform: photosynthesis, carbon filtering, water purification, stabilization of soil and water tables… There is no hint of its ultimate destiny.
The tragedy is if the seed is not allowed to germinate and grow, it becomes a prison.
We are all such a seed. Really paying attention to our true selves, learning what our intentions are or want to be allows that germination to take hold. We can begin living our best life, allowing ourselves to fulfill our unique destinies. This is our freedom. Freedom from being forced into a life that others have dictated for us; or worse yet, the life that we have lived thoughtlessly.
Consider where you spend most of your time. Take into account time for “work” as well as “free time.” What are you doing during those periods? Really list it out – especially what you do when you don’t have to be doing anything in particular. Now look your list. Do you see any relationship to your actual activities and the priorities you have identified for yourself (in Part 1)?
Suzanne, how many people do you know who have really “designed” their life? Of the ones who do, how many actually live the design or stick to it? In my experience, the net percentage is miniscule.
I believe most people live mostly random lives, driven by short term opportunities and events. That’s why movements like yours take generations.
I find people respond better to guidance on specific small steps they can take in the right direction, rather than living on purpose.
Thanks for the comment – it’s true there are very few people who set goals, meet them, then set new goals.. .moving forward on a linear path. But my point is that too many people just drift. The result is a lot of actions taken without much thought of the consequences. The world we live in today is a result of that… and a lot of people are complaining – but we can’t change the world, only ourselves. Which ironically then does change the world!