“…remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to loose…”
Passion – Inspirational Video
I have this thing that I like to say in the right situation, “we start dying the moment we are born.” It came to me while having a conversation about living, not just living, rather, truly living life to the fullest and the fears that keep a vast majority of individuals from doing that. Often this phrase is received with an obvious sigh of discontent, others focusing on the aspect of aging and death rather than my intention; which is, once you truly accept the fact that you are going to die don’t you start to feel like every fear, every hesitation, every doubt, every complacency, every undesired resignation, every false denial, every story we tell ourselves in order to justify our mundane existence, that we, in fact, chose to create and which we, in fact, can choose to change, is completely irrelevant.
We all start dying the moment we are born. What a freedom that is! You can do and be whatever it is that you want to do and be. You can live the life your soul dreams of because what have you got to loose in the end? Nothing, we are all going to die anyway, so there is literally nothing to loose. The end of your life is going to be like the end of everyone else’s life, over, and what will you look back on? A life that you played “safe”, where you followed all the “rules” and fit in, where you didn’t rock any boats or take any risks or follow any dreams. Why? Because you were afraid to fail? Who cares, all those people who would have judged you are going to die off eventually anyway, just like you. Because you were afraid you wouldn’t fit in? Who cares, all those people who would have judged you are going to die off eventually anyway, just like you. Because you were just plain afraid? Who cares, at least if you died taking a risk at pursuing a passion you could say, I followed my heart. Isn’t that something, rather than living a long life filled with fear, doubt, complacency, anger, judgment, pain?
Who cares? Why do you care?
Imagine this, you dream of opening up a café that sells the best coffee and Panini’s in town, with homemade organic cakes and cookies and local artwork on the walls. You start expressing your dream but the people around you start projecting their fears and insecurities, saying things like, “…you know 9 out of 10 restaurants fail in the first year…” or “…who’s going to want your overpriced coffee and cakes when there’s a Starbucks on every corner…” You begin to doubt your dream and start to believe their projections and stop pursuing what you feel in your heart would make you happy, only to die 70 years later after working 50 years at a desk, surrounded by acquaintances that you never really liked, living your life according to cliché’s you chose to believe only to die anyway.
Now, imagine this, you dream of opening up a café that sells the best coffee and Panini’s in town, with homemade organic cakes and cookies and local artwork on the walls. You start expressing your dream but the people around you start projecting their fears and insecurities, saying things like, “…8 out of 10 small business’ fail…” or “…with Starbucks on every corner you’ll tank in less than a year…” You choose to ignore these projections and start taking business classes at the local college. You start learning things like, “…the demographic for people wanting specialty coffee and treats in a welcoming atmosphere is on the rise…” http://www.sbdcnet.org/small-business-research-reports/coffee-shop “…it’s actually a good thing to have a Starbucks right beside you. Instead of stealing your business, you get the spillover from their store. “They’ll do all of your marketing for you, and your sales will soar.” http://consumerist.com/2007/12/29/want-a-thriving-coffee-shop-open-next-to-a-starbucks/
You’re now in school, learning how to run and operate your very own business and are surrounded by individuals who hope to do the same, rather than be surrounded by fear based projections, you are surrounded by passion, faith and persistence. You are surrounded by people who’ve chosen that they would rather take the risk and possibly fail than to never try at all. We’re all going to die eventually anyway, so why would you want to do anything less. You actively pursue your dreams knowing that you will fall along the way, but in harmony knowing that you will look back without regret and in faith knowing that you will succeed with something at some point if you never give up. The cards might change along the way, but the game is always the same.
Some people are fortunate enough to be born with this knowing, this motivation, this passion and pursue it from the moment of consciousness. Others struggle along the way, giving in to fear and doubt, making decisions out of insecurities and desperation, but it is never too late to take a chance. It is never too late to pursue your dreams. It is never too late to figure out what your dreams are. It is never too late to create memories that you want to remember for the rest of your life then die with a smile, saying I gave it all I could and regret nothing. It was a great ride and I wouldn’t change a thing. It was so great that I’d do it all over again if you asked me to.
I write this on this holiday because resurrection is a metaphor. Everyone has the ability to rise from his or her walking dead life and change. We can create heaven on earth and it begins with you.
Posted on April 6, 2015 Leave a comment