Wednesday, October 08, 2008

The Life You Were Born to Live

Times truly are tough and going to get tougher. We all need to do what we can to take care of ourselves, because if we don't take care of ourselves, we can't take care of each other...

The Life You Were Born to Live is an AMAZING book by Dan Millman...if you are going through self-doubt, or getting to know yourself or just need a guidepost, this book can help. I first heard of it from my friend Heather. Let me just tell you that the first time she told me one of the Life Paths was called Freedom and Discipline...I KNEW that was going to be my life path too...those two words just hit home. Since then, I have shared this book with many people, all of whom just say "Oh My God, OH! my God, Omigod", the entire time they are reading about themselves, or a lover, or a parent, or a child or whomever they have looked up in the book...it's that accurate!

For instance, one of the challenges for my life path is the challenge of honest expression of my emotions - something I definitely struggle with! An excerpt: "When we are dishonest in any way, with ourselves or with others, intentionally or not, our internal parts fight one another and our inner sense of spirit or inspiration fades; we feel cut off and alone".

Emotionally it's still difficult at times to express myself honestly... I'm afraid of the risk of angering someone or don't want to burden others with my down times...especially my kids or other friends who I feel might be suffering even more than I. I always KNOW I've got it better than someone else, but through my meditation I am working on letting the negative feelings come into my conscious...I've been sailing down the river Denial for far too long...

Another example; Before getting this book, I had begun to experiment with meditation as a way to get through tough times, uncertainty, and boredom...then I read this about myself: "Boredom is your personal hell. Ultimately the freedom you seek entails illumination and spiritual liberation, expanding your consciousness to the point where the universe becomes a playgound'...it's SO true, meditation and seeking a deeper spiritual self has alleviated some of my always needing to have something to look forward to, always trying to be in control, both emotionally and physically, and bettering the practice of living in the moment (not all of it, but some...I'm still working on it).

This book will help you learn about your challenges; some you may not even know about...others you know about but just can't seem to move past...it even addresses, in some cases, how negativity and NOT living the the life you were meant to can affect your health (again! amazingly accurate in my case, pinpointing things, healthwise, that have definitely affected me).

When I get a little lost on my path, I open the book and read about myself...helps me re-focus and re-energize in the positive. We can all use a little positivity these days...peace & blessings to all....Lisa