What’s Your Philosophy of Living?

A few months ago a good friend was visiting, having just returned from a short adventure in China. I really admire how he is living his life. The trip to China was about taking a chance. Chasing an opportunity to see where it might lead. This friend is also someone who easily dances with life’s bigger, more philosophical questions, which is another reason I enjoy our friendship so much.

 

In our last conversation I asked him, “What is your philosophy of living?” We took a moment to get clarity about what I really meant by the question and finally settled on, the principle that guides your daily actions. He wrestled with the question for a bit as he thought out loud, but eventually declared an answer that seemed graceful, fitting and captured the essence of his life.

 

I, of course, knew I now needed to answer this question for myself. I pondered it for a while until this thought emerged – Leave everyone I touch with a greater sense of hope and possibility. At my core, I believe this is who I am, how I approach life and what guides my daily actions.

 

If you do not have a sense of what your Philosophy of Living is, the beginning of a new year is the perfect time to distinguish this for yourself. I do not believe many people take the time to understand this about themselves, and as a result, they may feel a bit rudderless in life, wondering what they are doing, why they are here or what the meaning of life is.

 

The irony of those questions is that they are not bigger questions about life itself, but rather questions about YOU as an individual and how you define your life. Many people avoid thinking about this because they feel it is hard. In reality, I think they avoid thinking about it because then they might have to actually begin living their life as they truly desire.

 

Don’t waste another year of your precious life avoiding this question. Seek the clarity your Philosophy of Living provides and set sail in 2015 with a stiff wind at your back and a strong rudder to guide you!

 

“What is it that I really want to do with the one wild, precious thing called my life? Don’t go back to sleep. The fires are always kindled. Don’t go back to sleep.”

– Anais Nin

 

The year is young! As arbitrary as time and our declaration of a new year is, it is an opportunity for all of us to begin anew!! If you feel you have been wandering aimlessly through your life or business, now is the perfect time to reset your direction and commitment.

 

As hard as that may sound at first, all it really requires is some quiet time away from your distractions so that you can focus on and reconnect to who you really are and what you are committed to. You may pretend you don’t know, but that is just another smokescreen keeping you from what you really desire.

 

Read how this applies to your business here.

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Living From Your Legacy

I have lived my life preaching the moment.  Mostly because so many of us don’t live there.  Typically, we either worry about our future or regret our past, both of which take us out of the moment.  Life occurs only in the now, which is why I have spent the last 10 years of my life helping people be present to it.

 

But something is missing from the “now” when it exists in a vacuum.  When one lives their life only from moment to moment or day to day it is not purpose driven.  The “now”, when isolated by itself or lived only for itself, floats aimlessly.  It weakens that infinite power we humans possess called intention – that ability to create what we desire in our lives.

 

It is hard for many to step into the potent space of intention.  It reeks of responsibility and self-determined destiny.  To fully own this power of intention, we must stand in our legacy and reach back to the moment.  Legacy thinking inspires us to ask, “What do I want to be known for?  How do I want to be remembered?  What impact do I wish to have in this world and with my loved ones?”  Standing in that place, the view of the moment becomes clear and powerful.  It becomes directed and purposeful, and you can suddenly see how each moment and choice in your life is tied to the next.  To live without that clarity is analogous to traveling to an unknown destination without a map, compass or GPS system.

 

The great thing about this perspective is that the true choice is not whether to live in the moment OR from the legacy, but rather both.  Live in the moment FROM the legacy.  We must stand in the vibrant aliveness of today, and live in it powered by that vision of, and commitment to, the future we wish to create for ourselves.  Doing so suddenly puts each moment in perspective for us.  It provides a guide from which to choose how we wish to live our lives, how we interact with people on a daily basis and how we respond to the challenges of every day.  The legacy serves as a guide for us and all our choices and starts to give life greater meaning.

 

What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.

                                                                                                                                   –          Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

Your legacy is something that lies within you.  It is a destiny that is waiting to be born.  Coaching can help generate clarity about what is inside you.  Who you really are, how you want ot live your life and what you want to be known for.  Coaching can help you understand what you want your legacy to be and chart a course toward that future.  If you would like to define your legacy, send me an email at rich@empireofhope.com and I will send you an excellent exercise designed by Stephen Covey to help you begin to define it.

 

If you don’t have a compass, don’t forget your bread crumbs!

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