Backwards Living January 1, 2011
Posted by nrhatch in Happiness, Life Balance, Mindfulness, People.trackback
Often people attempt to live their lives backwards:
They try to have more things, or more money, in order to do more of what they want so that they will be happier.
The way it actually works is the reverse:
You must first be who you really are, then, do what you need to do, in order to have what you want.
* * * * * * *
New Year’s Day. Time to begin again . . . perhaps for the first time. Time to figure out who YOU are so that you can live the life of YOUR dreams.
Not THEIR dreams for you. YOUR dreams for you.
Where to begin?
Here.
When to begin?
Now.
Look deep.
The answers lie within.
Thoughts to Ponder:
* Don’t worry about what the world wants from you. Focus on what makes you feel more fully alive. What the world really needs are people who are fully alive. ~ Joseph Campbell
* Nature does not ask, “what do they want me to be?” Its glory lies in its authenticity.
* To be nobody but yourself ~ in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else ~ means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting. ~ e.e.cummings
* Always remember that you don’t have to be what they want you to be. ~ Mohammad Ali
* Success is sharing the best parts of yourself with the world.
* Know thyself ~ Oracle of Apollo at Delphi, Greece
* Happiness flows from being true to yourself.
* Turn the spotlight inward. ~ Gandhi
* To thine own self be true. ~ Shakespeare
* You have as many reputations as you have acquaintances. None is accurate. Be who you really are.
* People are unhappy because they aren’t being truthful with themselves. Being truthful with yourself plugs you into your inner power. ~ Suze Orman
* When you stop hiding who you are, you have more energy to become more fully who you want to be.
* Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony. ~ Mahatma Gandhi
* To be a success in life is more than racking up dollars in your bank account ~ it’s about being the best YOU that YOU can be.
Related posts: Silence The Mind * The Goal Behind All Goals * Happiness, Harmony, and Integrity * Our Internal Compass * Access Your Inner Wisdom * Create The Life Of Your Dreams * Doubt
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Spirit Lights The Way 
Great quotes you’ve collected, especially the Margaret Young bit at the beginning. We spend too much time going backwards.
Exactly! Damn the torpedoes . . . full steam ahead!
I actually feel a release of “stuff” coming on. Life is cluttered enough with emotions, relations, business and the living itself. I’m looking at a way to remove the physical clutter, or at least a good portion of it. I mean really, how many computers and gadgets does a person need? Or food processors for that matter?
Decluttering our physical space helps declutter our mental space as well . . . and vice versa.
Creating more space for creativity.
Seems we humans go about a lot of things in reverse order, doesn’t it? This post is filled with wise words!
Even the ancients seemed to recognize that when we know WHO we are . . . we know HOW to live:
WHO -> HOW
These are all great quotes. Coincidentally the first one, I came across just recently.
I’ve had the discussion various times over the years with my son about not following the path you think others want you to take, but rather folowing your own path.
Great post!
Thanks! And thanks for stopping by and commenting, Laura.
Your son is lucky ~ parents don’t always encourage authenticity in their offspring. 🙂
Thank you, Nancy, for all the inspiration, affirmation and wisdom you have imparted since I ‘met’ you.
Happy New Year, my friend, regardless of the date on the calendar.
xxx
Thanks, Cin. Right back at you. Always remember . . . you’re a bright spot in our day ~ the blogosphere would seem emptier without you in it.
Here’s to sharing more of these truths that are so simple in concept, so difficult in practice. 😉
Wonderful post, Nancy, full of things I want to learn by heart. Authenticity is a pear of great price 🙂
I agree.
We are so influenced by those around us ~ encouraged to accomodate their preferences rather than cultivating and honoring our own.
It takes courage to be who we really are, but it’s worth it . . . our freedom is at stake.
Wonderful message to live by, thanks Nancy! Here’s wishing you a spectacular 2011 🙂
Thanks, Naomi. Here’s to an awe-inspiring year for the lot of us. 🙂
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