There’s only one promise you need to make to yourself. It’s this: to live a life you love. I’ll say it again. Live a life you love.
If you don’t love the life you’re currently living, there’s only one question you need to ask of yourself. It’s this: ‘Am I willing to turn my life into a life that I do love?’
If your answer is “yes”, then you know what to do next. If your answer is “no”, then the life you have right now most probably is the life you love. Far better to see this than to torture yourself with the illusion that you’re trapped. And if your answer is something in between, then you’re probably still saying “no” but saying it in a more roundabout way.
On a related matter, whenever something happens in your life that hurts you or knocks you off your feet, lie down. Stay lying down until you’re fully recovered. Then get up and resume living a life you love. If your recovery is gradual, then just ease back into life. Don’t rush. But make sure that the life you ease back into is a life you love.
Whenever you suffer at the hands of someone else or you feel life has been unkind or unfair to you, the best thing to do is to forget it. If you can’t forget it, then forgive it. Forgiving isn’t as good as forgetting but it’s better than nothing. In the end, the point of forgiveness is to shake off the past. And the very best way to shake off the past is to forget it.
Now, regarding spiritual enlightenment … forget about this too. You need enlightenment like you need a hole in the head. Don’t waste your time chasing it. Just stay true to that one promise you’ve made to yourself: to live a life you love. Enlightenment will take care of itself. The rest is just a load of blah.
Thanks to my wise old mate and football balladeer, Mick Murray, for sharing these insights with me at a time in my life where I felt a bit over-promised. Onya Mick!
