Exploring the world, exploring different cultures, getting to meet new people can help us to see and live our lives from a new and different mindset. When we look at all the things that others are going through, we will realize that the things that we once thought were important, no longer serves us. Instead of living a life of discontent, we learn to bring ourselves in line with contentment. We no longer chase down material things as a source for our happiness. We no longer view external things as a means of status and importance, and we no longer attach our happiness to external things. We become content with who we are as a person internally. We no longer live from the outside in, instead, we now live our life from the inside out.
Life can throw a curve ball at us, and it is that spirit of contentment that will help you to address those life issues. That means that we do not need to argue our lives with anyone. That is why it is important to live the life that is best for You and not one that is dictated by someone else. That means that no one outside of you has the right to your life and how you live your life. If you live your life by the dictation of others, your life will crash and burn. We all have the presence of mind, heart, soul and spirit to know what is the best life for us.
Not all parents know what the best life is for their children. There are some parents who want to force the life they may have missed out on down their children’s throat or they may have this notion of what their child should become without even speaking to and getting to know their children and not even considering the individual passion of their children. They even go as far as to try to manipulate their children’s thoughts so that child(ren) can become a clone of them.
As a self-assured, mature adult, you do not need anyone to manipulate your mind, forcing you to think like them. That is a raping of the mind and a violation of our individuality. If anyone is trying to manipulate you, they are forcing you to live in pain with no sense of contentment in your life. Life is to be lived fully and passionately. There is nothing that you “should” be doing, nothing that you “ought” to be doing, if those things cause you internal mental, emotional pain and anguish.
There is no race to be or do anything. Stop running around like a chicken without a head. There is nothing in life that you should be rushing to do or become. Relax and allow your life to bring you what you need. Living your life passionately has nothing to do with rushing to make your life happen. Ask yourself, is what you are rushing around trying to get for your life, is that what you really want? Is it making you feel happy and passionate about living?
It is normal to want parents and other family members proud of us, however, they have already lived their lives and their life may not be your life. What they want for you is not what you want for yourself. Live the life that is best for you and your parents and family, friends and colleagues will learn to respect the new you. I use to be one of those individuals, although it was more about other family members than about parents. I had to learn to stand firmly on my feet and on my values and stand up to family members and not allow them to run me over with what they thought was best for me and my life. The operative phrase here is “my life”.
A few years ago, I had lunch with a friend and after lunch, I had nothing to do. Goodness mercy me. I did not know what to do with myself. I felt that I was being lazy because I wanted to go sit in Central Park and watch the ducks in the pond. The thought that I was being lazy was left over dirt stuck in my mind from my Jamaican upbringing. As a child, I was always thought to be lazy because I did not fit in with their programmed mentality of what a young female was supposed to be doing. I wasn’t lazy, but I let them think that.
My idea of work was the complete opposite of my supposed duties of being a young lady. Cooking, cleaning and serving the man of the house was not my idea of work that the other women so idealized. When I migrated to the United States and they heard that I was working, they were all shocked. See, I wasn’t lazy, even from that young age, I just did not have any intention of living my life by other people’s design. Oh, yes, I was vilified my entire teenage life. I was not being a “proper” young lady who should know her place. I lived my life my way. The same goes for you. Live your life by your design. Do not allow others to dictate your life, your purpose and your happiness.
Overtime, I was able to dig out all the stuck on dirt leftover from my childhood. I love living my life from the seat of my pants and it has always worked for me. I live my life passionately and not by some out-dated societal rules that belong in the dark-ages. I hate living a stuffy and restricted life. I’m a free spirit, born to run and travel free to anywhere that I wish to be. So living a restricted life makes me claustrophobic and I have asthma, so you can imagine my breathing dilemma.
I love my Jamaican/Caribbean culture, and I love certain aspects of my upbringing, however, I refuse to live my life as a copy of the old way of living and being to which I was subjected. Now, I can live my life passionately, freely, openly and happily. New York City is a huge melting pot filled with so many cultures and languages that you don’t need to stay the same way forever. We are free to adopt a new culture; a new way of being that connects with who we want to be or who we are becoming. And no, you don’t need to live in New York City to have that kind of living. You can have it anywhere you are.
After living in an environment that is filled with arguing, contention, violence, hatred and abuse, I know that I do not want that kind of living ever again. Upon moving out on my own, my life started to know what peaceful, happy and passionate living felt like. Goodness, I never knew living a peaceful life could feel so good. Therefore, anything that interrupts my peaceful living, will not be tolerated anywhere near my life. No one should be allowed to dictate your life. If you are happy in your life and you are living and doing the things that contributes to your passionate living, then that is the life for you and others would need to respect that and if they don’t, it is still your passionate life that you will be enjoying.
The beauty of life is that we can always find new things to be passionate about. If something no longer brings you passionate living then find new ways to live the life that is best for You. What brings passionate living to your life? Are you stopping your life because of others? Are you allowing others to run your life, or are you thinking for yourself? What steps can you take so that you can start living the life that is best for you?
