Friday, February 20, 2009

What kind of world would we have, if we all did exactly what we wanted to do?

Hypothetically, people worry about everyone being selfishly oriented. "If everyone did exactly what they want to do, what kind of world would this be?" And we say, a really, really good one. Because if everyone did what they wanted to do, everyone would feel free. And if you feel free, you feel empowered. And every negative emotion that exists—hear this—every negative emotion that exists is because there is some sense of loss of freedom somewhere in there.
Excerpted from an Abraham-Hicks workshop in Syracuse, NY on Wednesday, September 29th, 2004

I received this quote from Abraham-Hicks (http://www.abraham-hicks.com/lawofattractionsource/index.php) a few days ago. I couldn't have said it better myself, so I didn't try. This is how I've been living my life in the more recent years, and why I am happy.

But I find that I am misunderstood quite a bit. What if everyone did what they wanted to do? Most people think that the world would be chaos. But I'm not talking about letting psychopaths do what they want to do, and harming others. I am talking about people knowing what gives them joy and following their hearts, even if it doesn't make sense to others. I am talking about people committing to that which gives them joy.

I started living this way about 15 years ago. I left a job that I hated because I had an abusive boss. When I wasn't terrorized by him, I was bored. I had worked for him for five years because the salary and the perks were really good. Up to that point I had been motivated by fear of survival. But one day I woke up and realized that I wasn't willing to live that way anymore. I confronted this scary man, told him the truth about how I felt, and calmly discussed whether I could continue working for him. He was shocked and for the first time in my life, I felt empowered.

Having had my first taste of telling the truth and following my heart, above survival, I couldn't stop. I found that I didn't want to live in New York anymore. The idea of moving to Marin County in the San Francisco Bay area made me jump for joy. It didn't matter that I didn't know anyone there, that I didn't have work, and that I didn't know how to drive. I took a leap of faith and found myself happier than I had ever been in New York. I could go on and on, but you get the drift. That's how I've been living my life ever since.

I don't hurt anyone. Some people feel hurt because I am not meeting their expectations. But it's my life and I get to live it any way I want. Anyone who knows me, knows that I am serious about my commitments. I have a contract with a high-tech company and I fulfill my obligation to them, giving it my best effort. I meet my work deadlines. My colleagues know that they can depend on me. When I find that I don't want to meet my contract the way it is, I renegotiate it.

So by all means, honor your commitments. Just be diligent about what you are committing to. For me it's work, my book, speaking, and my blog. I have no problem saying no to requests that I don't want to fulfill.

So what happens when you follow your heart and do what you want to do? You wind up doing the work you're suppose to do. You wind up using your gifts and talents in a creative way that inspires others. You wind up having everything that is important to you--not to someone else, but to you. You become of service instead of being just another hamster on the treadmill, running for dear life and going no where. You become happy.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.