Learn to Love the Journey, Not the Destination
66Lately I've been reading a lot trying to figure out if other people are perhaps struggling with their purpose on earth the way I am. I'm happy to report that I am not alone.
I'm reading through Eckhart Tolle's "A New Earth, Awakening to your life's Purpose", and so far I'm getting many messages about politics and religion, and not much about the journey to awareness of purpose. I'm confused when I think about how anyone would write a book about that. How can you? It has to be about what each individual has a passionate belief in and raising a voice and activism to cause an effective change in whatever circumstance.
John Lennon once said, "Life is what happens to you when you're making plans". He was a politically correct activist in my opinion and I miss his spirit and I think he was fortunate to realize before his untimely death, what his purpose was.
In my research to find purpose and awareness, I've read "The Four Agreements", by Don Miguel Ruiz. I love this book and the principles were so clear and easy to apply into my life. One stands out for me and that is to be impeccable with your word. I try to always say what I mean and mean what I say.
Another great book to read is by Anna Quindlen called, "A Short Guide to a Happy Life" In it she talks about learning to look at all the good in the world and trying to give some back. The idea of "getting a life" and living that life deeply every day and from my own unique self, resonates something profound. Anna says she learned something about enduring after the death of her mother at age nineteen in a very short period of time about life. And that was that it was glorious, and that you had no business taking it for granted.
For certain there is a richness in life that many take for granted and I realize this in my own life, and as I get older each year I tell myself that I must to something and give my existence real purpose and meaning. I don't want to leave without being of service, showing love, and with a happy attitude toward the blessings I have in my life. I want to use my life for a purpose and there is no way I can pinpoint exactly what that purpose is because I continually evolve and do different things. I believe I do it when I write and share experiences and hope. At least I pray that I am giving back as I go along.
There are many books I've used to help me figure things out as I go along. I've read, "How Reading Changed My Life", "Black and Blue", "One True Thing", "Object Lessons", "Living Out Loud", "Thinking Out Loud", and "Happily Ever After" all by Anna Quindlen. Also "Tao Te Ching" by Lao Tzu, and "The Essential Tao", by Thomas Cleary.
In conclusion I am learning to love the road I am on now and the journey, and worrying less about what destination I end up.
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That is a really inspirational Hub, Cheryl, thank you! You should have the amazon module and list the books there. Then you would get money if anyone bought the book from your page. Couldn't hurt!!
Veronica,
Enlightened me....how do I get the amazon module? Thanks for the good feedback.
Cheryle, you are indeed giving back, don't doubt it for a moment! I, for one, have been lucky enough to have received wonderful emails from you that brightened my day. And you share your knowledge so that others might learn. And you are raising the next generation.....and so on.
At least one of your purposes is writing, that's what you share with the world and you do so very well. Talk about synchronicity, I just had someone say the same thing to me an hour ago. Now it's time for me to pass that message on to you, my friend.
I have the Four Agreements. The book isn't very big, but the message is. I agree with you that it is very easy and clear to understand.
Eckhart Tolle does not resonate with me (also a conversation that I had only an hour ago!). It's not his message, it's his presentation. I only read 3/4 of The Power of Now and gave up on him, going to a different author saying the same thing in a different manner. I am going to give Tolle another go, though. It was 5 years ago that I last read him and I'm in a different place now, so I'll try again.
Thank-you so much for writing this great hub, Cheryle. Love the title, by the way.
Thank you Shirley, you're the best. I appreciate you and the warm feeling I get whenever I hear from you. I will do my best to share my thoughts in writing and hopefully impact someone.
From what I know (and I haven’t read any of Tolle’s books yet), The Power of Now is a much better book to start with, as it focuses on the individual rather than on the collective (which in my understanding is exactly what A New Earth is about). What’s more important than reading books in my view is experience. We can read as much advice as possible, if we never put it into practice then what’s the point?
Not that I ‘accuse’ you of this, mind you. :)
As far as the Amazon capsule is concerned, it’s really quite easy. First follow the step-by-step walkthrough (you’ll find that if you look at http://hubpages.com/faq/) to sign yourself up. Then edit your hubs. In edit mode, you’ll find the menu to “Add More Stuff” to the right. Here you can add all kinds of capsules, including Amazon. Add the capsule and then Edit it to get the best results, using the appropriate keywords. Don’t expect too much. In my experience the earnings aren’t very high. :)
Ananta65
Thanks for the comments. I do appreciate it. I will give your instructions for Amazon a try as soon as I have some free time and let you know how things work for me. I'm not looking to make money here, I'm loving the friendships I'm making with writers that teach me and in turn I hope to share and teach as well. Thank you again for reading my stuff. Have a good day.
CheryleJ
You're welcome. I'm not here for making money either, but if we do get something, just by pointing people to interesting books.. Well, nothing wrong with that either, is there? It was an interesting read, so to quote one of the great minds populating this earth: "I'll be back" (A. Schwarzenegger)
Ananta65,
No nothing wrong with making money!!! Hope to hear from you more. Take it easy..
I love it. It inspires people to awaken.
desert blondie 3 years ago
Ultimately, we all know life's destination...death. So making the journey the most valuable part of our lives is the best thing possible! Nice thoughts here, and good books to learn about. Best to you!