How many of you start dreading the work week after your HBO shows wrap up Sunday night? Are you a 9-5 work robot and a completely different person once you leave? Is your job sucking the life out of you?
My guess for most of you is, yes. & I’m not surprised considering that as Americans, we’re trained to think that the Monday through Friday gig is honorable and looks damn good on paper.
But listen to me now. You will never reach your full potential as a human being as long as you’re sitting at that desk.
Kinda scary to think about, right? That your work consumes most of your life and you’re doing something you can barely stomach?
But today, I’m just using your job as an example. What I really want to talk about is living your life in TRUTH.
Don’t go anywhere. This isn’t as woo-woo as it sounds. I’ll elaborate on the job stuff another day. What I’m talking about now is allowing yourself to be 100% unapologetically YOU. That could mean admitting you love marine biology, and you’re not production assistant….you’re a florist, not a wedding planner…you’re awesome at doing hair, and you loathe being a dental hygienist. Here’s a little bit to think about:
Today, brain imaging scans show that the brain has to work to suppress the truth when telling a lie. We’re naturally inclined to be honest. So whenever we lie, we’re using precious energy to smother something that actually wants to come out. Hence, taking energy away from more important things like being creative, memorizing notes for a presentation, or even something as simple as enjoying your beer. (It’s also a gateway to not so great stuff like illness, exhaustion, and a general feeling of shittiness)
Now I’m not talking about lies like I peed in your hot tub three times at your graduation party last June or I didn’t go out Satuday night because I was really caught up in an old episode of Pete & Pete. I’m talking about the BIG stuff. Do you really love her? Do you dread going into work? Do you still have fun hanging out with those friends who’ve recently took up a fancy for pills? Do you fake a relationship with your dad? I’m talking unfiltered-computer-history-can-I-get-blackmailed-for-this kinda stuff. (….Maybe you can be blackmailed for peeing in a hot tub…or staying in on a Saturday night to watch Pete & Pete….your call)
Drilling questions for a sunny Tuesday afternoon, I know. But the reason why I’m bringing them up is because the God’s honest answer to those questions are your compass towards living a better life. Those bad feelings have name. It’s called your gut. Your intuition. I don’t want to get too far ahead of myself on Day 1, but just let yourself think about that for a second. The feeling you get from certain situations is a gauge. It’s your inner guide saying, uh, no. This isn’t for you. If you’re one of those who hasn’t got a clue what they want out of life, think about this:
Everyone has two parts: the essential self and the social self. The essential self is your tastes, talents, the person you were born to be. Whereas the social self thinks in terms of language and logic. It is a direct creation of the world around us. (Who your friends are, where you grew up, what your parents think you should be, etc.) The catch is, the only way you can be fulfilled is if you get these two guys to work together. The key to figuring out what makes you click is to strip away everyone else’s comments/thoughts/opinions, and be honest with yourself. Do you have dreams of being a Safari tour guide in South Africa? A sports reporter? How about an ancient alien archaeologist?
Keep in mind this is just an exercise to get you thinking. Your inner truth is the foundation towards living a great life. There are steps to follow after this. It just starts off with you asking the simple question, am I really happy doing what I’m doing?
So today, I have only one request. DO something for yourself. Wear the shirt you love that your friends think makes you look like an asshole. Tell your mom you don’t really like her pineapple meatloaf. Buy those Celine Dion concert tickets even though you’re 25-year-old straight dude. So what?! Let yourself do what you want to do. This isn’t rocket science. It’s good feeling vs. bad feeling. Right vs. wrong. Get REAL with yourself. It’s no one else’s life but yours.
Lessons In Clarity 