Monday, June 1, 2009

If you could have any one thing in life that you wanted . . . what would it be?

If you could have any one thing in life that you wanted . . . what would it be?

Sounds like what the Genie asked Aladdin when he rubbed the lamp, doesn't it? But what if it wasn't just a fabled story, and you could actually have anything you wanted. What would you want?

And what if I told you that you could have it, but . . . there was a catch. You would have to be WILLING to give up what you have today - everything you know and love.

Would you do it?

Note, I didn't say you had to give up everything you had right now - just had to be willing to. You may have to give it all up. But then again, you may not. The key is the willingness to let go - the openness for the opportunity of growth.

You see, it's all within your power and your reach . . . the ability to have anything you can dream of. That no lie - and I'm not selling anything. But for most people the fear of the unknown - not knowing what that life may leave them with - is enough to prevent them from actually doing what they need to do.

Believe it or not . . . we experience this many times in our childhood. But we don't hesitate, because, the draw forward is stronger than the chains holding us back.

The first time a baby walks, he is willing to give up the security of crawling, just to be more like Mom and Dad.

Same thing happens when he becomes potty trained - as much as he wants to be more grown up, he also loves to be a baby.

And when you go to school for the first time, you venture into a world that you've dreamed about often for years, but with absolute fear, because you know there is no turning back.

And your first kiss - life as you know it is over. Whether you realize it at the moment or not, as you put your arm around someone else for the first time to give them a passionate kiss, there is no turning back - but you are ok with that, because it's time to grow up - to become more adult.

Throughout our lives we face these decisions - we face growing up and moving forward, or forever staying where we are. In each of these examples, you were willing to give up what you had for the hope of something better. Some of the changes are small, and others are large. But don't kid yourself, with each step, you lose a little bit of who you were to become who you are going to be.

But all too often, as adults, we get stuck. We stop moving forward and get complacent - not willing to give up anything to even grow a little bit. All we want is security in life - which quite honestly, isn't life at all.

The essence of who we are, as humans, is growth. More than anyone else, we have the ability to see our surroundings, find the flaws and "try" to improve on them. But alas, many of us struggle at the idea of growth - not sure what we would have to give up, if we go down that path. Literally the fear of what we might lose, prevents us from actually getting what we want.

So let me ask you . . .

- Would you give up watching American Idol or The Biggest Loser to have your Masters Degree and eventually a better paying job, higher salary, and more personal flexibility?

- Would you be willing to give up one and a half slices of bread per day for ever to cut one pound from your diet every month for the rest of your life?

- Would you give up job security and a guaranteed pay check every other week to pursue your dreams - even if that meant getting a smaller house, a smaller car, and eating out less, knowing that you might make 10x what you make now?

These are just a few questions that I can think of - but the truth is, there are a million things we must be WILLING to "give-up" if we want our dreams come true, so the most important two questions of all are:

What do you want your life to be?

What are you willing to do / give up to make that come true?

When you are WILLING to give up everything - literally everything is possible!

2 comments:

  1. Hey! The Biggest Loser season is over! :-)

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  2. your first kiss - life as you know it is over. Whether you realize it at the moment or not, as you put your arm around someone else for the first time to give them a passionate kiss, there is no turning back - but you are ok with that, because it's time to grow up - to become more adult.

    Love that segment ... brought back a great memory! One I have not visited for a long time! :) Ahhhh to be young and so star struck again.

    I really enjoyed this post JJ. I believe people stop moving forward due to fear. I also believe it has to do with not having a base of confidence to draw from. What I know for sure is that as we dare to live the dreams that are often times just floating in our minds, we gain momentum and confidence and there is no going back. Only forward with passion and purpose...

    And it is the best feeling to look back and say "WOW! Look where I've been, look where I am and look who I am becoming through it all!"

    Growth is part of our journey here on earth. It's vital and only WE can decide to remain stagnant or in forward motion!

    Love this topic - thanks again.
    Onward passionate people onward :) ...

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