Charting Your Own Course

Taking Back Control of Your Life

 Do you ever feel that you’re living life as if you’re stuck on a roller-coaster with no chance to change direction or even to stop the ride and step off? It’s amazing how many people feel trapped by their lives and out of touch with the means to control their own destiny. We feel the pressure of holding down a job - whether we enjoy it or not - responding to the constant pressure to pay bills, cover the taxes, pay for the children’s needs and the endless cycle of expenses that keep us securely chained to the grindstone. Does that sound familiar? And what’s the alternative? Turn our backs on the world and live a simpler life in the jungle, off the grid and as far from the pressures of modern civilisation as possible? Not sure if that’s the best alternative. No. There surely has to be a better way.

 Death is not the greatest loss in life. The greatest loss is what dies inside us while we live. 

- Norman Cousins

Let’s start with the issue of work. Research reveals the sobering fact that the vast majority of people hate their job. Did you know that? Most people roll out of bed in the morning and grit their teeth as they prepare to turn up at a place of employment that they secretly loathe, hate and detest. What an appalling way to spend the precious gift of our lives. And we are truly adept at inventing all kinds of very convincing reasons for enduring this daily round of torture and unhappiness. Most of us lock ourselves into the old habit of going to a detested job every day on the grounds that at least it provides some kind of financial security. Not the kind of financial independence that gives us real choices and a lifestyle that fills our hearts with joy. That’s usually far too much to expect. And once we accept the compromise of a willing enslavement to the lures of financial responsibility, we inevitably join the slippery slope that leads to increasing levels of compromise and the abandonment of our cherished hopes and dreams.

 I love those who can smile in trouble, who can gather strength from distress, and grow brave by reflection. 'Tis the business of little minds to shrink, but they whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves their conduct, will pursue their principles unto death.

- Leonardo da Vinci

Whilst we’re so busy with the daily round of distractions that we call life, work, family and responsibilities, it’s easy to forget what you’re really here for. It’s easy to lose sight of the mission. We get tired. We get distracted.

 We’re here to discover our own sense of personal fulfilment. We’re here to fulfil our real potential. And the only reason we’re not devoting sufficient time and energy to this quest –

  is because we behave as if we’re immortal.

 That’s right. We squander the precious coin of our lives as if there’s an inexhaustible supply of future days for each of us to spend. It’s only when we confront your own mortality that we face the shocking realisation that our time is limited.

 If you received the sobering news that you only had six months left to lie, ask yourself how you’d wish to spend the time that remained to you. Most of us would quit the day job and start doing the things that really mattered.

  This is not about the fear of death. This is about the fear of living.

 It’s a timely wake-up call to draw attention to the way we waste the opportunities that surround us. It’s about cherishing life and respecting our right to a more fulfilling existence.

 That’s why the question of what you’d do differently if you knew you only had six months left to live is so relevant. 

 I believe that imagination is stronger than knowledge. That myth is more potent than history. That dreams are more powerful than facts. That hope always triumphs over experience. That laughter is the only cure for grief. And I believe that love is stronger than death.

-      Robert Fulghum

I know that it’s a tough question and that we rarely feel comfortable when we ask it, but take a few moments to consider how you’re living your life. And ask yourself what you would do differently if you only had six months left to live. It’s a very powerful way to focus on how we make our choices and an excellent way to challenge the apparent limitations that seem to govern our daily existence. Confronting our mortality changes the rules. The old ideas and conventions may no longer be relevant. So why do you endure their restrictions today? When you break through the flimsy veil of social pressure and traditional conventions and realise that you have far more choice and power than you previously admitted, you can start to make choices that reflect the way you wish to live your life.

 For life and death are one, even as the river and the sea are one.

-      Khalil Gibran

This is an invitation to put aside the old fears and doubts and embrace life’s opportunities in all their rich and varied splendor. Carpe diem - seize the day. And resolve to discover your own potential before the sands of time run out.

 Greg Parry created The Wellness Foundation and the Cognitive Empowerment Programs specifically to help people master their stress, overcome their limitations and explore the power of their true potential.

 If you enjoy these blogs, you can imagine how much fun it is to have Greg in the room as an inspirational and highly perceptive speaker. If you’d like to invite Greg to talk to your company or organisation or event, feel free to get in touch.

 You can contact Greg and explore our websites at:

 www.thewellnessfoundation.eu

 www.cognitivepowerprogram.com

 If you’d like to see Greg and listen to his great ideas and suggestions for a more successful and empowered life, you can now find him on You Tube at:

 The Greg Parry Experience

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