“I don’t believe people are looking for the meaning of life so much as they are looking for the experience of being alive”.
Joseph Campbell said that and he was right.
How often have you said, “It is time for a big change in my life”, I just want to feel alive, maybe I really want something new…..” Have you ever stopped to consider exactly what feeling alive means? What exactly, is this aliveness or change you are wishing for?
Well, we all want to feel completely engaged, active and light most of the time…constantly creating joy, passion and meaning all around us. Nevertheless, we tend to feel sometimes bored, empty or heavy, having a lack of enthusiasm, missing excitement or challenge. Stay cool! You might just be simply disconnected from your sense of aliveness.
Let me explain…
Do you find yourself constantly trying hard to make life more interesting by engaging into activities that you assume will bring you aliveness and happiness? For instance, do you tend to acquire more, achieve more, make more in the objective of seeking change or fulfillment? Are you aware that the desire to acquire “more” (more money, more clothing, more technology…) holds you back from being a happy and alive person? The idea of “more” will make you believe that you are not okay the way you are and that you need things, lots of things to make you happy and this will not bring you true joy. Don’t fall into that trap!
A full external life does not equal to a full internal life. Only when we are fulfilled internally, we can project and create a happy life externally. It is essential to get connected truly to your inner self to be truly happy and alive.
Before I share with you tips towards the road to aliveness I want to draw your awareness to what you really see when you look at a child. You see that sense of fullness, aliveness, the joy of being, right? Why? Because a child has not been affected by society, culture, others behaviors or mislead to believe in certain ways. A child is still a fertile land, a child is happy for no reason and we all need to learn from our little children what it means to be alive.
If you wish to inspire others with life and vitality no matter how old you are, then follow these tips:
- Master your physical health to stay energized, active and nourish well your vital cells. Balance what you eat, drink, how much you sleep and exercise, how long you get exposed to sun… Your body is your prime vehicle to achieve anything you want in your life and taking good care of it should be a life priority, because if you don’t have your health you can’t achieve much.
- Give yourself permission to sing; laugh and joke.. this is essential for your aliveness, go beyond the roles you play, the social status or position you occupy in life, and connect deeply to yourself and others, be who you are and give yourself to act spontaneously from time to time.
- Meet the present! Many of us are just busy living in the past or the future. Those who live and focus on the present are able to enjoy and notice the small little things they experience every day and this is essential to live fully and joyfully.
- Be free to express truly your emotions, thoughts and opinions. Be your full self and don’t mind being judged or criticized, this will only lead to live according to and through others.
- Contribute to something larger than you because giving is simply more joyous than receiving and the act of giving lies in the expression of aliveness.
- Experience nature and embrace beauty in everything you encounter, explore the different forms of lives we are blessed with. Open your eyes, activate your senses and observe the miracle of life revealing itself to you.
- Stay connected to a higher power, to your higher self. This will help you anchor a sense of trust, meaning and purpose and definitely will improve your sense of aliveness towards life.
- Get out of your comfort zone: Take risks, approach fear and be friend with it. Try something you have always wanted to try, do something you thought you could not do, go somewhere you have always wanted to go to… encourage the elements of fun and imagination in your life as these will make you feel alive.
On another note, it is important to cultivate your sense of curiosity. Don’t be satisfied with what you know, seek to learn something new, explore, expand your knowledge, and pursue new interests. The source of continuous aliveness is to find your passion, to pursue it with a whole heart and a single mind. Find what lights you up and do more of that!!
As Richard moss states “ To me, wholeness is the key to aliveness. It is more than just physical vitality, it is radiance coming from being at one with yourself and your experience. life then flows through you.”
What makes you feel alive? Please share your thoughts and join the conversation on facebook page emergecoaching. To your Aliveness!
Linda Chaccour
Founder Emerge Coaching
Life Strategist and Happiness Consultant
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