Month: August 2022 (Page 2 of 3)

Being a middle-age man, I’ve evolved in many different areas of my life: physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. One of my favorites has to be how soft I’ve become – and I don’t mean physically. Maybe it’s just my true shine showing through after the facade of my ego has rubbed off after all these years.

I certainly know what I want and what makes me happy now-a-days, but my Love far exceeds my desire for any type of violence or harm to others. Any living creatures. I rarely kill flies, as I find it more challenging to catch them in mid-air with my hands and release them to the great outdoors.

I used to hunt a bit when I was in college, but find no desire to do those kinds of things anymore. My appreciation for living things has increase ten-fold and I enjoy every minute of it. From my little dogs (one is a newly adopted rescue) to my 15 year old cat, I find joy in taking care of them, feeding them and going for walks as they smell their way around my neighborhood.

I guess it’s my appreciation for life that has blossomed and grown, giving me another element in my life to be grateful for. Yeah, I’m a softy and I Love every moment of it!

As I move through this life on earth and strive to be the best version of myself I can be, I realize that my inner compass is always guiding me in the direction of my destiny, if I could only pay attention to the signs. Subtle as they may be.

There were times when I hoped a lightening bolt would crackle downward from the skies above or a piece of ripe fruit would fall from a tree hitting me on my head in order to get my attention. These would be clear telltale signs to help me identify the course of my direction.

However, it’s much more subtle than that.

It’s a feeling deep within that grabs my full attention. It’s a yearning – a desire to explore an idea (as big or small as it may seem at the time) even though I may have little experience in that area. It’s a bold proclamation. It’s being on the precipice of a promise being made to myself. It often times comes as a brilliant endeavor full of adrenaline and excitement followed by crippling fear realizing what’s truly at risk. This is usually when I know I’m on the right track.

More times than not, the desires and dreams of my true self – the destiny of my life – speak to me not through raging weather anomalies or a thunderous voice from heaven above, but rather a small quiet voice within. A calm confident utterance, but nonetheless a faint whisper.

This is when I strive to listen attentively. As I’ve come to believe my destiny lies there. Within those brief, still, but yet crucial moments.

There are daily – no rather moment by moment decisions we have to make in order to become the person you intend to be. For me, it comes down to choices as simple as: am I going to eat chocolate after my dinner or fruit. Can I make time to practice on the drums for at least 5-10 minutes? Do you want to fit in the workout today or not? Is it important enough for me to schedule a date night with my wife this week in order to connect? What about my children? How can I find quality time to spend with them?

These may seem like small and insignificant decisions, but each and every one of them sends you in a direction. The question is: Are your actions sending you in a direction you want to go?

We are all where we are in the world because of the choices we have made over the years. No doubt, there are certainly aspects of our lives that are out of our control: Where we’re born, who our parents are, the color of our eyes and even getting a disease such as cancer. We don’t choose these things, but we can certainly choose how we react to what has happened to us.

Only when we can take 100% responsibility for our lives and the choices we make in them, can stand up from the back of the bus and grab ahold of the steering wheel and direct our lives where we want to go and not feel like we’re a helpless passenger who must figure out how to navigate their next stop.

One of my weaknesses over the years is my tendency to fall into a way of thinking in which I’m not able evolve into the best version of myself because of the way I view the situation. When trying to overcome obstacles I can self-sabotage with a less-than-productive approach to problem-solving that is most likely only because it’s become habitual for me.

If you’ve ever watched the reality show “Naked and Afraid,” where a man and woman, who are total strangers have to team up in the wilderness to survive for a designated period of time, you’ll see that 4 out of 5 times, the woman outlasts the man. Not because she’s a survival expert, but because of her mental approach to each and every situation. It’s about her perspective or the way she views the world. In fact, she may have a disadvantage as she may not be as physically strong as her male partner.

This is so powerful and it’s a skill I need to hone daily. For me, surrounding myself with the right people who can take a positive creative approach to life helps tremendously. The last thing I need is a person who serves as a wet blanket as I move through my day not contributing to the resolution.

I intend to Think Creatively.

I doubt if it’s the same for everyone, but evolving into your true self may take a bit of time. Longer than you anticipate anyway.

For me, the powerful influence of the people around me growing up, my environment/surroundings and my life experiences dramatically impacted my perspective on the world and my place in it. Especially, the person deep within me that would eventually make it’s presence known.

I guess what I’m saying is, there were certainly aspects of my personality in place when I came into this world, but the people around me and what I experienced in my impressionable years shaped and molded my personality as well.

Often times, we’re unable to visualize the best version of ourselves. We may not think it’s possible. I certainly don’t believe that’s true. Not for myself or anyone else. We just have to create the right environment for ourselves in order to thrive. All things are possible.

This includes: our daily habits, what we put into our body, the people we associate with on a regular basis, what we spend our time doing, the content we expose ourselves to, how we move through this world and maybe most importantly – what we focus on. Some of these elements are more challenging to change than others no doubt. But, I believe it’s worth it.

It’s worth the price of becoming the true and authentic YOU, you are destined to become.