I’ve spent a lot of my adult life trying to ‘get right’ with myself in regards to letting go of guilt and shame from any and all past mistakes. No doubt, this comes from being brought up a devout Catholic and all the wonderful “perks” that come along with it.

The fact of the mater is this; We are all perfectly flawed. Which means, we can never go through life unblemished. Knowing this, in addition to living a principled life – or as much as humanly possible – we can take solace in the ups and downs of our lives. This is the natural course of a human life.

Having said that, we must be honest with ourselves and do our best to avoid the trappings of acting on whimsical desires and behavior knowing we can allow ourselves ‘off the hook’ due to our flawed nature.

I believe we all know within ourselves – instinctually – what the right thing to do is in any situation as long as we come from a place of Love.

In memory of Rule #6 (See previous posts), some of my deepest and most guttural laughs come from . . . . well, laughing at myself. Often times, along with other people as well.

This is imperative to not only be present in our lives, but to cultivate it. I’m not talking about any sort of self-ridicule and/or abuse. But rather light sense of self-deprecating humor towards oneself.

When laughing at ourselves we’re able to put everything into perspective. Including ourselves and our ego in this world.

This is completely different than my self-confidence and should in no way take away from our ability to believe in ourselves. But, what we all must recognize are our shortcomings. We’re human and deeply flawed. Don’t worry, there are more than enough to go around for everyone.

The only reason you’re not laughing at yourself is because: A: You’re not living by Rule #6. Or B: You have waay too big of an ego.

In either case, lighten up. And laugh. Yes, at yourself.

Maybe every once in a while we should: Unplug from our chaotic world of electronic devices and remain silent for extended periods of time and see what comes to mind. Then write down our experience.

Maybe every once in a while we should take the long way home and see what catches our attention. Or say hello to a perfect stranger and ask them how they’re doing. Maybe every once in a while we should tell someone we care about how much we love them and why.

Maybe once in a while we can go out of our way and surprise someone with a gift that will brighten their day. Or go out of our comfort zone and and take a risk by letting someone you care about know how flawed you are because of past mistakes.

Maybe we can face what terrifies us with squared shoulders and stare into the darkness without blinking and ask ourselves, “What can I learn from this?”

I’ve recently learned how to play a musical instrument – the drums. When I say recently I mean I’ve been working on it for 4 years (when you get older you tend to measure time in 5-10 year increments).

It has made all the difference for me as I have a whole new appreciation for music that I couldn’t see from the outside before. Now, I’m certainly no Neil Peart, but being a part of the music has given me another avenue in which to express my creativity.

I loved music before and certainly had an appreciation of it – especially on the dance floor – but, am now on the inside participating and riding the wave of melodies and contributing what I’m capable of doing. A beat. It’s not bad. It’s not great, but what the hell.

I feel like a rock star. A middle-aged rock star, but a rock star nevertheless.

I have heard that there is darkness in all of us. That I would agree. As human beings we are capable of almost anything.

However, that doesn’t mean we have to expand that darkness by focusing on it. Rather, let’s focus on the opposite. Shining our light of positivity so brightly that any darkness that may be present cowers itself in the smallest recesses and corners and remains there to stay.

Denial is not a solution to what is truly present in us. It is acknowledging the reality of its’ existence and choosing to focus on what makes us the best version of ourselves we can be.

The answer is LIGHT. Our light. The light of Love. The bright light of forgiveness. The warm glowing light of empathy. The guiding light of leadership. There is infinite light within all of us waiting to be lit. Ready to shine at our command.

Let’s light it up!