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I’ve been thinking a lot lately about why so many people don’t get what they really want in life.  It’s hard to think about because there are so many close friends of mine that fall in to the trap that somebody or something else will solve their problems on a dime.  Like it’s a magic potion you drink and then BAM! you’re fixed.  I’m sorry, but it doesn’t work that way!

Many of these peers rely on tapes and books to fix their problems.  In my mind, the worst thing to rely on is the other ‘higher up’ people who promised that if you just believe in them, they will make everything right.  They will fix all your problems.  One good example of this is the government!  YOU are the government.  They are there to help you, but you must be willing to act, not simply be acted upon.  Tapes, books, and other people are NOT the answer to your problems — YOU ARE.  What ever happened to each individual taking responsibility for their life, their actions, and their relationships with others?  What ever happened to YOU being YOU and not what everybody else wants you to be?

Don’t get me wrong here…tapes and books are useful to get you looking in the right direction, but YOU are the one that has to take each and every step down that path.  You are the only one that can and will.  If you want life to be different tomorrow, do something about it TODAY, not tomorrow.

The majority of people in this life are not happy with their current job, their current situation, their current lifestyle, their current relationship, and the list goes on and on.  Why is this so?  Have they really given up on life, not ever wanting to find their passion, not wanting to take their life to the level they want?  I don’t believe this is the case.  People simply do not know HOW to get to where they want to be.  Let me explain my reasoning…If you ask someone if tomorrow they could do whatever they want with no regards to finances, social pressures, and current commitments, most would not do what they do today.  Most would change their job, buy the car they’ve always wanted, spend time with the people they keep thinking, “I need to catch up with him!”  I submit that most people still have dreams, dreams that they still believe in deep down, but that haven’t been fulfilled in so long that they no longer try to live them.  So how do you and I find those dreams and put them at the forefront again?

Here are a few suggestions on how to find your passion in life again:

• Stop worrying about the people around you who have already found their passion.  You will never win when you compare yourself to others.
• Do NOT put money into the equation.  What I mean by this, is do not simply believe that the thing that you may be good at or that other people say you’re good at is your passion just because it generates the highest income for you.  If your daily actions are controlled by whether or not it generates more positive income for you, you’re headed in the wrong direction.
• List the things that you do when you have nothing else to do.  What happens on an idle Tuesday at 4:00pm when you have done all of your work, your homework, your house chores and whatever else you have to do or need to do…what do YOU do when nobody tells you what to do and when nobody else is around?
• Be happy with where you are in life no matter where you are.  Take it one day at a time.  Do the things you don’t want to do today so that tomorrow you can do the things you want to do.
• The way it is now is not the way it has to be tomorrow.  If you want something different in life, DO something different.  Insanity is continuing to do the same things over and over and expecting a different result.

I admit, it’s easier said than done.  I recently read an article on a blog titled Slacker Reform, and it ended with the following:

It isn’t a wake-up one day and count to ten and poof you’ve got your purpose.  Finding your purpose isn’t a ten step program, it’s an infinite step program.

Each step is often small.  Minuscule even.  The leaps and bounds that get touted as sparks of genius or inspiration are an accumulation of hours of minuscule steps both forwards and back.  They’re the moment you can put what you’ve been feeling for years into words.

It’s about living as an experience, a process, which aligns with your very beliefs as a person.  With your core self.  With your soul.  Or ego.  Or heart or whatever word you choose to bandy about.  But all the same it is what you would create a revolution about.  It is your purpose.

What would you create a revolution about?  What is your purpose?  Start living today.

The following by Dr. Moorehead from the Overlake Christian Church…I find it very thought provoking with all the technology that we surround ourselves with.  Have we ever really stopped to think about what we have today…how we should be better off in so many ways than we were in the past, but we really aren’t when it comes to personal and social interaction, when it comes to time, when it comes to many things…we just have less.  Have you felt yourself trapped in this kind of cycle where you believe you are getting in to something that gives you more time, but actually eats up your time?  I wanna hear about it in the comments!

The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints.

We spend more, but have less; we buy more, but enjoy less.

We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time.

We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness.

We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.

We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values.  We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.

We’ve learned how to make a living, but not a life.  We’ve added years to life not life to years.

We’ve been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We conquered outer space but not inner space.

We’ve done larger things, but not better things. We’ve cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We’ve conquered the atom, but not our prejudice.

We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less.

We’ve learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less.

These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes.

These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill.

It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom. A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete.

Remember; spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever. Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side.

Remember to give a warm hug to the one next to you because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn’t cost a cent. Remember, to say, “I love you” to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all mean it. A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you. Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again. Give time to love, give time to speak and give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind.

-Dr. Moorehead

Just a little thought provoking, huh?  Thought I would share!  I would love to hear what you think about today’s society in the comments!