Body & Soul
You’ve probably stayed up late in the night thinking about some of life’s biggest unanswered questions.
I’ve decided to take some of life’s biggest questions and make attempts at answering them. And I’d like you to do the same. We’d all love to hear your ideas! Please post in the comment section below.
Why do we exist?
This has to be the biggest question in life. Why do we even exist?
To try to figure out an answer, there’s two ways to look at this; with a small perspective and a wider one.
With the wider perspective, you look at the entire human race or the Earth and why either were created. Perhaps we’re some kind of experiment by a higher being or higher beings. Or maybe we’re just an accident. No one knows the correct answer and maybe no one will ever know. That’s why I like to look to the smaller perspective for meaning and answers.
The smaller perspective is about looking at yourself, those around you, and other individuals. It’s a more personal “why do we exist?”. This is where tons of answers can be conceived. We each have our own unique purposes and purposes that we share (You can learn more about figuring out your purpose in this article.) Here are just a few:
We are meant to be brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, friends, grandparents.
We are meant to be there for others.
We are meant to help others.
We are meant to be unique.
We’re meant to be happy and share happiness.
And we’re meant to not waste the time we’re given.
Why must there be sadness and negativity?
As much as I would love to live in a Utopian world where everyone is happy and no heartaches exist; there’s a reason for negativity and sadness.
Negativity and sadness make happiness and positivity precious and that much more sweet and enjoyable. Without sadness and negativity; there would be no positivity or happiness.
Why do we have to die?
So that we’re driven to live!
What is after death?
Each of us will eventually find out.
Personally I have a hard time believing that there is nothing else after life. Most of us put a lot of work into our lives and to arrive at a dead-end, no pun intended, just doesn’t make sense.
But then again a whole lot in life doesn’t make any sense. So maybe sometimes in life it’s better to just keep questioning and not find answers because the wonder and pursuit is what makes life interesting and worthwhile.
“The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing.” – Albert Einstein
What do you think about these questions and other of life’s biggest questions? Again, please share in the comments below.
Have you ever been excited and enthusiastic about something like a new opportunity and then have someone say; “don’t get your hopes up”? I’m sure that’s happened to you many times.
You were happy, positive, motivated, and confident, and then all that came crashing down.
The person warning you not to get your hopes up probably meant well. They didn’t want your bubble to burst if things didn’t work out. However, they don’t realize that they’re bursting your bubble before it even gets a few inches floating off the ground.
Do get your hopes up!
Now I know you want to live with hope, passion, and excitement. So do just that! DO get your hopes up. DO get excited at even with the smallest of chances. You should face every new opportunity and change with hope and enthusiasm.
When things don’t work out
Even with your hope and excitement, a lot of times things aren’t going to go as you wished or planned for. So what do you do?
It’s all about maintaining your hopeful, positive, and enthusiastic attitude and mindset. You’re going to be able to create and seize new opportunities in the near future, but not without this.
It’s as simple as that, on paper at least. It will certainly be hard to react to a let-down with a positive outlook every single time. It’s going to take a ton of practice and self-reminding, but completely worth it.
Share your thoughts
How do you react to a let-down? Please share in the comments below.
Article photo by Yandle
This is a guest post.
“I feel like my best days are behind me,” Jan said when she called to discuss her career goals. “It’s too late to do what I really want to do, so I’ll have to settle for security. Can you help me find what that is before it’s too late?”
Jan is not alone in thinking that time is her enemy. Many of my clients believe they missed life’s greatest opportunities, even young clients who have decades of life ahead of them. Jan’s autobiography (my client’s first assignment) revealed her obsession with appearances began when she identified with her mother’s hopes and dreams. As she worked on her life story Jan realized when and why she decided that she should repeat her mother’s life. Looking at the parents and their marriage from an adult’s point of view set her free to create a different ending to her story, although this did not happen overnight.
As Jan learned, pretending to be the person she thought others wanted her to be was a hard habit to break. Again and again she found herself going back to what was familiar, such as trying to please everyone, and then feeling too exhausted to discover what she wanted to do.
When Jan’s subconscious finally accepted she had needs, particularly the need for solitude and intellectual stimulation, she ended a relationship and went back to school to get a graduate degree in psychology. Today she uses her experience and insight to help clients find meaning in their lives.
“I could never be as effective as I am without the struggle I went through,” Jan said, when she called to let me know how life and work were going. “Nor could I bear with my clients when they are going through difficult situations. I know that eventually they will see that today is not yesterday, that opportunities abound. Then, just as I did, they will feel as though they woke up from a bad dream.”
An added bonus to Jan’s career success is the man she met at a psychology conference.
“We’re the same age and we have the same values. Neither of us wants to go back in time, where we are is too much fun.”
Jan’s experience with time changed when she discovered the authentic self she had rejected for fear of disapproval. She doesn’t worry about what others think and do now, which gives her a distinct advantage in the marketplace. While other counselors try to be all things to all people and fail, Jan’s practice is thriving.
“You have to listen to your intuition if you want to get life moving in the right direction,” Jan said, as she gathered up her belongings. “In the end, it’s the best guide, but boy, is it ever hard to trust that inner voice when so many people are going in the opposite direction.”
To make money doing what you love look within to find the treasure of great price: your authentic self. Write your life story, beginning with your grandparents and parents’ beliefs about money, work and love. As you work on your story think like a novelist, refer to family members by their first names so you can see them as people, not as authority figures you dislike, fear or worship.
Objectivity about your forbearers will also help to resolve conflicts you have today with authority figures, such as bosses, experts, and partners who would rather be right than reasonable. Seeing these people as they are not as you want them to be will help you to be more self-accepting.
By the time you finish your story you will see the choices you made that always ended in failure, some of which you may still repeat. And you will see when you were true to yourself in spite of the risks. If you stop making the choices that never work, and you repeat the choices that always turn out well, you will succeed beyond your fondest dreams. Then time will shift into timelessness.
Written by Nancy Anderson
Nancy Anderson is a career and life consultant based in the San Francisco Bay Area and the author of the best-selling career guide, Work with Passion, How To Do What You Love For a Living. Her new book, Work with Passion in Midlife and Beyond is available in online and retail bookstores. Her website is workwithpassion.com.
Over the past 2 years I’ve shared my story and I’ve discussed the lessons I’ve learned from overcoming my failures, mistakes, and setbacks in life. I’ve received many emails and comments from people expressing how amazed they are at how I seem to have everything all figured out.
I do believe I have a unique perspective on life but I feel compelled to tell you that I don’t have life all figured out.
I’m young (currently 21), I’m human, I made mistakes that make me question what I was thinking, I’ll make more mistakes, and I’ve even lost sight of my own advice from time to time.
So please don’t think I’m better than you or holier than you. I didn’t create this site and I don’t write to preach how perfect my life is or how wonderful I am. I’m not an “expert” in life and if anybody tells you they are; they’re lying.
I don’t want you to feel that you need to have life all figured out and be completely free of blemishes either.
If you’re young, you’re going to make big mistakes that will make you question where your morals were.
If you’re older, you’re going to make big mistakes too.
What is important is that we’re not in denial and that we’re honest with ourselves. That we commit to being better. And that we work hard to fulfill that commitment.
Another thing we all need to work on is to not be so quick to judge others for their mistakes and show much more compassion. Our society too easily writes people off. We believe that no addict can stop and no criminal can learn and become a better person. This mentality actually shows weakness in ourselves. Having compassion and hoping for someone’s betterment shows true strength.
What unfinished business would you leave behind?
What would you want to say to those you love?
What would people remember you for?
Would you have regrets?
Would you think you spent your time wisely?
How many lives would you have help positively change?
Would you have let your talents go to waste?
Would someone be inspired by your passing to seize the moment?
What and who would make you smile in the face of your death?
If you would like, please share some or all your answers to these questions in the comment section below.
