From young people to seasoned professionals, many of us are still participating in a life that is only partially fulfilling. Why does that exist and how do we discover and move in a direction that is truly our own?

Chasing success

Our whole lives we are taught conditional love, that we will be worth more if we obtain a good grade on a test, hold that grade for the marking period, maintain it for the year, then it’s for four years for your collective GPA. Maybe your route is slightly different. Perhaps you play a sport, seek JV, then Varsity, look to play in college, all the while the value you place on yourself, and the value you believe others place in you is all based on your performance and success. You are a human doing and not a human being. And so it continues…perhaps you finish college, land a good job, move up in the company, create a nice home…human doing. Our understanding of success is established at a very young age, and collaborated by people we love and trust deeply. So we willingly participate in this game of Life Olympics where there are winners and losers. Some people are able to find their true calling in this environment, many are able to secure some level of success that they find acceptable. Most know something is missing but are not sure what that is or how to search for it, and we can go our entire lives without discovering it.

In 2009, I came across an AARP article based on an external study titled “The Top 5 Regrets of the Dying” by Bronnie Ware. In the study Bronnie, a hospice nurse interviewed those in the last weeks of their lives and the results are astounding. The top regret was “I wish I had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.” I was floored. Deep in my mind, I always believed we had a choice, but with so many external factors demanding our time including family, employment, and our financial responsibilities, I wondered. Do we really?

As I further contemplated the study one thing became clear. The people looking back on their lives experienced regret, something deep was missing, and I didn’t want that experience for myself or for anyone. Then I thought, How did they know?

Living proactively instead of reactively.

How did those looking back on life realize that something was missing? The solution came to me in my own experience of spiritual growth while working in ministry. Each of us is given a unique set of gifts and talents at birth from the creator. It can take a life time to discover, develop, and implement those gifts. Doing so allows us as human beings to “Live a life true to myself”. We know inherently these gifts are within us, and we can develop and implement them and perhaps experience a life of purpose and contentment like never before. But the choice is ours.

Are you ready to begin the journey to uncover your beautiful innate gifts and talents? Time is ticking.

Clear the noise, Listen to yourself.