“Wherever you go, there you are.”
My late husband, Mickey said this to me 25 years ago. It was so profound that it changed my life.
“No matter where I went, there I was.”
To me, it meant, if I was struggling to find my path, or if I was a little bit lost, or always one step behind the eight ball, then no matter where I went, that would be my life! It wouldn’t magically change!
Whoa.
So, if I wanted to live a happy, successful, and fulfilling life it was up to me. Maybe on some level I already knew that, but what became clear was that I was somewhat unsure of who ME was. Yet again, whoa!
So, that being said, what do you think could be the #1 roadblock to achieving happiness, success, and fulfillment?
You got it! NOT BEING YOU, of course!
How does this happen? Where do we lose ourselves along the way? Why is you being you so important to your pursuit of happiness, success, and fulfillment?
Well, buckle up and we’ll take a little ride down that path.
From the time we are young, we take on views and opinions based on what we have been taught from those we love and trust, and for the most part, they are usually good views that help us get through life without running into walls. We’ve all heard them; things like “Don’t talk to strangers. “Better safe than sorry.” “Slow down, you might get hurt.”
All of these sayings are important and extremely helpful, especially when we are young, but unfortunately in areas that we want to attain expertise and exceptionality they have become ingrained in our thinking and they can become roadblocks.
Why? Because we take the adage as true and we don’t learn the lesson for ourselves. We don’t own it.
It’s the old “I’ll take your word for it” or “If you say so.” We do it with our parents, our teachers, our spouses, and our friends. Unfortunately, this stops us from gaining the much-needed experience we need to define what is right for us so we can find our own path.
So, how do you find what’s right for you?
You experience life and pay attention to what inspires you.
It is in those moments of inspiration that you shine the brightest. You are in- tune, locked-in, and on-point with whom you are and what you have to offer this crazy world!
It is that creation, that thought…that inspiration that is you…purely you.
Those moments of inspiration are the catalysts that keep pushing us toward our path, so maybe we should listen.
But what happens when we find our path? How in the world do we stay on it?
Well, let’s take this ride a little further.
Now, as you may have come to know by now…when I speak of happiness, success, and fulfillment, I think of the word, ARTIST(second definition) and when I think of the word, ARTIST, I think of words that describe the overall essence of BEING THE ARTIST, words like, “original”, “unique”, “special” and of course, “exceptional.”
But there is another word that captures an important essence of being the ARTIST. That essence is “power” and that word is “integrity”.
I love just saying the word. “Integrity!” In fact, I’ll say it again, “Integrity!” It is one of my favorite words in the whole world because it is a crucial part of you staying you!
Now, what IS integrity? Definition from Miriam Webster’s dictionary; n. firm adherence to a code of especially moral or artistic values : incorruptibility.
Can you believe it? This definition of integrity actually uses the word artistic in it! That’s so cool!
But lets look at this definition. Adherence to… Incorruptibility. Those are POWERFUL words! Those are words of commitment.
Imagine the idea of being incorruptible.
No, I mean really think about it.
Whoa! Right?
Nothing anyone can say could cause you to change or alter what you know to be true (your code or moral values). There is a certain kind of peace there.
For example, you’re an ARTIST in the way you raise your kids. You are happy, your kids are happy, and your spouse is happy. Whatever it is you are doing is working. Yay, you! You have created a code of artistic values and you are adhering to them. So, no matter what any expert says to you, no matter what you read, no matter what the news tells you (or your mother-in-law for that fact), it will not change how you raise your kids. In other words you will not succumb to peer pressure. You - not succumbing - that is integrity! That is the power of believing in you.