Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. Begin it now. - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Article written by Alex Blackwell. Connect with me on Facebook.
Life can be unpredictable and can often disappoint when it does not follow our plan. Jobs are lost, marriages end and people become ill and die before we thought we would lose them. However, faith tells us there can meaning to everything that happens; and there can even be meaning for the things which seem to happen only to us when we choose not to simply survive life, but to live it with passion.
Our lives happen quickly. I turned 47-years-old a few days ago and this birthday has hit me particularly hard. The awareness my life is likely more than half over and my 50s will be here before I know it, has given me reason to take an account of how I want to spend the time I have left.
It ain’t what they call you, it’s what you answer to. -W.C. Fields
Article written by BridgeMaker contributor Alex Fayle, Someday Syndrome.
I do. So do you.
You might try to deny it, but human beings are social creatures. We crave validation and approval from those around us, even when we try to be independent. It’s hardwired into us.
That doesn’t mean, however, that we have to let it rule us.
Just like everything in our lives, external validation has its good and bad sides. We all know about the bad side of being an approval junkie: submitting to peer pressure, suppressing dreams, conforming to the crowd, living up to (or down to) unreal expectations… The list goes on, but the result is the same. We live out our lives afraid to stand out and afraid to follow our dreams.
Many people have a wrong idea of what constitutes true happiness. It is not attained through self-gratification, but through fidelity to a worthy purpose. - Helen Keller
Article written by Alex Blackwell. Connect with me on Facebook.
Life can be very complex at times. Working on relationships, raising children, building careers, and exploring our faith all require time and effort – no question. As complex as these things are, take comfort in the fact the reasons we work so hard may not be complicated at all.
It has been suggested by psychologists what people want most in life is to experience pleasure and to avoid pain. As a result of spending a lifetime paying attention to what people are saying and feeling, as well becoming more aware of what motivates and drives me; I would suggest the psychologists are wrong. From my life experiences, it is clear what we really want most boils down to two things: happiness, and purpose.
