Hi guys! Welcome to Episode 382 of the wildly successful lifestyle podcast. Glad you’re here, and thank you for sharing the episodes with friends and family whenever you can, it of course helps the podcast reach more people which makes the world a better place…so thank you for sharing!
What if I told you….
I am where I am today because I grew up in a very religious family. I am where I am because that religion does not allow for expansion of the mind in any shape that isn’t created by the religion. I am where I am because….each of us has a story that we tell ourselves and the world is why we are where we are. what is your because? How would you answer that?
And once you answer that I want you to ask if that’s true on its face? Because I grew up with many kids who were raised in a very similar situation as me and their life doesn’t look like mine at all. What does that mean? How is that possible? Because if it’s true that you are a product only of your experience then someone who had the same experience should be in the same boat right? But that’s not how it is. What does that mean? And how does that benefit us to know that?
Well. It means that each of us are an innate being and we respond to our circumstances in very different ways. I have always felt like I was meant for something more, something unique. Have you felt that way? Of course you have because you are and I am. Each of us has a calling towards something that if we just keep following it will have us on a journey that is constantly inspiring and surprising us.
Tim Ferris had the CEO of Levels on his podcast recently. He said he hasn’t paid attention to the news or social media for years. Not at all. He realized he needed to because every new crisis of the week had him on an emotional roller coaster. And after he cut all of it out he would hear his friends freaking out about a news story and he would think to himself. That used to be me. And now I’m unaffected because I know it’s designed to keep us agitated and so he keeps his mind free of it. He said he read 8 books in the first few weeks. Now my thought when he said that was “well you just traded one distraction for another.” but that thought stayed with me like it needed some clarity and when that happens I usually get the clarity during or right after meditating. And that’s what happened.
The clarity I got was this. Reading books is vastly different from watching the news or scrolling on social media because you are choosing the book. You choose on purpose what your mind is consuming. And if you’re like me if you choose a book you’re not truly interested in, you’ll get through the first few pages and then put it down. So you are choosing what you’re feeding your mind which is how we were designed to thrive and create our path to who we truly are whereas the news and social media, you are simply at the whim of whoever’s feed your on or what ever news channel you’re on. There is no independent choice or creative thought there, it’s designed to keep you as distracted as possible so you stay on it. That’s the difference.
One is distracting you from life and one is helping you create and shape the life you were meant for.
If you’ve listened to me for a while you know I struggle with it. I have cut way back to the point where I won’t be on social media for full days, and I do feel like a different person on those days. I’m called to steer completelyclear of the news and social media, and I am heading in that direction because when I have a calling I know to answer it or follow it. My life is always better for it.
So no, My life is not a product of my experiences. My life is a product of how I view and how I handle those experiences. That’s why everyone’s life is so different even if you were raised in similar ways. That’s not just true in religion either. Children that were raised with a silver spoon so to speak, meaning they were always wealthy have very different experiences. Some get addicted to drugs and end up in one rehab after another and others live a life of philanthropy and charity. Each of us is unique innately and we can make of our life what we want. We can choose to just distract ourself because life isn’t where we thought it would be or we can realize that the knowing that life isn’t where we thought it would be, that knowing could wake us up to do something about it instead of just distracting ourselves from it.
I am where I am because I have always headed in the direction of my calling. I am not just blindly following what someone else says I should. My parents would love for me to still be in their religion. But that did not feel right for me. You see, Everyone has an agenda and as long as you stay true to yours, there will be an ebb and flow of you’re following what you are meant for. It’s like the game of Marco Polo. Did you play that in the pool when you were kids? You keep following that calling until you find it and sometimes you’d get closer and sometimes farther away but you were always listening for clues. And that’s what we are doing in this life as well. Always listening for clues to the answer of who am I? And the biggest thing I have realized is the stories we tell ourselves just keep us farther away because I’m not my past mistakes or my past successes. But those are part of the ebb and flow that keep me heading towards my purpose. And you might think that the mistakes take you further and the successes take you closer but it isn’t always true. Sometimes your mistakes catapult you into a much closer place because they caused so much pain, which often leads to an awakening if you allow it. And sometimes successes paralyze you so you don’t move forward, always wanting to ride that wave again. Trying to keep getting back to that feeling. I had a friend who used to say he was always chasing that 3 beer buzz. But it’s never quite the same.
So don’t discount or regret your mistakes and don’t hang on too tightly to your successes. These are both stories we tell ourselves and it could end up with us thinking the best is behind us or I’ve messed up beyond repair. Neither of which is true unless we hang onto that story.
The best is always in front of you. And what if your mistakes was God calling you to a place you wouldn’t have realized without that pain?
My challenge to you today is to listen to that subtle voice telling you that you were meant for more because you were regardless of where you are, regardless of your story. But remember that story is fluid. Your life will ebb and flow. Listen to that voice and follow it. Pick up that book. Make that phone call. Reach out to that person. Join that gym. Those subtle momentary thoughts are not random…they’re your purpose calling you towards it. You are whole but never complete. I love you guys. Share this with 1 person today, it’s a message not everyone is ready for but you are because you heard it. I love you guys. I’ll talk to you in a few days.
Who am I?
