Sometimes we all need to take two steps back from our day to day lives just to get a reality check on what we are doing for ourselves. Now if you are juggling a full work load at home, work, school or whatever you do with your time many times it isn't the easiest thing to do. Some people have told me that they would love to follow their bliss but there just isn't enough hours in the day. That they would take a measure of those internal qualities that make them unique but they just don't have the energy.
That they would follow or do things that make them happy but they are so busy existing they don't have time to truly live. I say only because at this point it just isn't important enough to make the time. When a friend becomes ill or a family member is given a terminal diagnosis you make the time to go visit and spend time with them because you know how short their time on this planet is. But how many of us take the time to actually invest some time in ourselves.
Something I have learned during this journey is I cannot relinquish my happiness into the hands of others. I cannot give that power away because as hard as they may try they cannot make me happy. Only I have that ability and only I can make myself miserable. At some point you have to realize that the only person on this planet who controls you, is You. Your boss may manipulate your time and even your energy, but there is other jobs out there and that can change. You can get downsized or fired. You place of business could be destroyed by a natural disaster or financial crisis. You control that if you realize it or not.
Sometimes even if we don't want to look within our own souls and take measure of our life, life will decide it is time to take a reality check. This has recently happened to me and I have had to take a long hard look at my life and decided exactly what I want and what I have to do to make it a reality. I cannot patiently wait around for life to find the course I am meant to travel, I have to take stock of my gifts and my talents and decide where do I go from here.
It isn't easy to admit your shortcomings but for many it is even harder to admit your talents. Sometimes we are oblivious to what is right in front of our noses because for whatever reason we refuse to admit that we have gifts. We are all born with innate skills that with practice or dedication improve. That we can do what makes us happy even if for a short period of time in our day to day lives.
Following your bliss isn't going to always be easy, you are going to have to work at it to make it happen. You are going to have to face down those in your life who may be threatened by your dreams and fearful that your changing may make them loose the control they exert over your life. That if you grow stronger and wiser and happier that somehow that will threaten their very existence and make you realize that they aren't a needed character in your life.
I know that during my own personal journey I have cut a few people from my circle of friends. I have had to make the hard decision what was working for me and what wasn't. But to be completely honest I haven't regretted a single change I have made nor have I ever gone back and re added those negative people to my life. I have limited access to those I could not remove so that they no longer control how I feel about myself and about my dreams. And yes sometimes it is very difficult to cut those ties. Sometimes it is a friend you may have known for decades, sometimes it is a new relationship that you had very high hopes for, but in order to succeed sometimes you have to make those hard decisions and what is truly in your best interest.
Some people will feel that you are changing in ways that aren't as beneficial as you believe them to be. To those I say change means revamping and making sure the decisions you are making are getting you closer to those goals. It means stepping outside those normal boundaries and trying something different or even doing something so completely out of character that is surprises even yourself. It means taking a walk on the wild side and taking those baby steps towards your long term goals, even if you may not know absolutely what those goals may be. It is a journey of self exploration and self examination to find what brings you the most happiness.
Life is a journey, it begins when you are born into this world. You come into existence screaming and kicking and you can either go silent and follow the pack, or you can continue to scream and kick and get somewhere. As children we learn by example and by experience. Why would that change simple because we are out of short pants and learned to walk. Every experience you have in this lifetime good or bay helps form the person you will become by the end of this journey.
It will help form your opinions and attitudes towards different things and let you know where your gifts lie. It will help you see the world with a clearer view, much like a photographer slowly adjusting their focus ring, no longer simply seeing what the camera wants you to see but what you choose to see. It will enlarge the circle of people you share your life with and hopefully introduce you to new idea and new thinking patterns. It will widen your circle of knowledge and help you understand things from a new perspective and a new view on the world at large.
They say the two biggest growth experiences you can have are higher education and travel. For many of us neither is a real option. Most people are destined to spend their entire lives living out their days within the boundaries of the country of the birth. A larger percentage of folks never make it beyond high school, for economic reasons or no interest in furthering their education. But that doesn't mean you cannot grow, it simply means those are the two ways that are the most advantageous for growth.
You can experience new cultures and new ideas thanks to the world wide web. I have friends now that are located all over the globe, many I chat with on a daily basis from as far away as India and Australia and I reside in the United States. I watch videos about foreign places I may never see with my own eyes and I dream about what it must be like to experience those places first hand. I have standing coffee dates with many of my distant friends just encase I ever do manage to see those exotic locations first hand.
If life is a journey I have every intention on leaving this world with every country stamp I can on my passport of knowledge. I have a desire to learn and to grow and to evolve. Not simply for economic reasons but also for personal reasons. The mind is a sponge that absorb so much more than most people every realize, never stop learning no matter what your age. I pick up words in foreign languages rolled them across my tongue experiencing their flavor and texture like a wine connoisseur experiencing a rare vintage bottle of wine. I try recipes from far away lands to bring the local flavor home, knowing that experiencing them first hand would be so much better but making due because of budget limitations.
I read literature written by wise people from all over the globe and from all religious followings, simply because I am not limited by the wisdom of only my own base. I take what I need and file away what I don't and are safe in the knowledge that I all the wiser for having considered it. I try to keep an open mind and I don't judge others regardless of the differences we may have simple because I may miss out on some amazing experiences if I limit my exposure to people simply based on different ways we live our lives.
I know that not everyone is blessed enough to be raised in a nurturing environment that encouraged growth and self discovery. That many of us were raised in very strict homes and taught to only follow the norm. To never step outside the boundaries placed around us by our elders, society, and even our own families. That we were raised to believe a set way and think a certain way and to be distrustful of strangers. But as my husband keeps telling me I would talk to trees if they don't run away screaming and I have never met a stranger. I even make new friends while standing in line at the cashier or sitting alone in a park or a shopping mall. I believe that we all have a common ground finding that common ground can be challenging but people are people regardless of where they call home or what they do for a living.
Our global community is getting smaller every day. In my parents time they only knew people they had met face to face, usually folks they worked with, went to church with, or knew through family. But in this amazing era we live in that is no longer the case. Networking sites like Facebook and Myspace has opened those boundaries wide open and allowed us to communicate with others from all over the world. Translator programs now allow you read foreign newspapers in your own native tongue and see first hand what people in other countries are doing and how they see their world.
One of my favorite things to do is go to some of the mainstream media news sites for places like China and Japan and read about what they deem to be newsworthy. Many times you can get an inside track on the mindset of others by simply reading their news. You can see that they experience many of the same things we do in our own Countries of origin and that they too are parents, siblings, and have children. That they too worry about getting older or money issues, or even how to do what makes them happy. That although we may be very different, in both appearance and cultures, we are all human beings and as such need to learn to connect with others along our path and grow stronger as a planet not simply as separate countries.
That is my words of wisdom for todays submission to my blog. It is a rainy Monday here and my only real escape is my writing and my exploring the world via the internet. But that doesn't stop me, it simply means I have to do my exploring mentally instead of physically today. It means that I will spend my days chatting with those in other countries usually the middle of the night for them is the middle of the day for me. And I will continue to explore and learn and grow.
I hope my words today have given you some food for thought. It has given you some new ideas and ways that you can explore your world and widen your horizons. That is inspires you to step outside your normal day to day box and learn something about a new culture, try a new dish, or even learn a new language.
Until next time blog buddies, stay safe, stay sane, and be happy.
Some of the Beautiful Animals I photographed during my trip to the Local Zoo
For those curious on how I got such amazing photos through glass I used a polarization filter on my DSLR to make the glass disappear in my shots. the last photo was taken by my husband with my point and shoot camera during our great adventure.
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