THE IMPORTANCE OF PAYING ATTENTION…
Disclaimer: There are a ton of questions here…just letting you know now, proceed with caution.
What does it mean to be of service to others?
Does it is mean putting others and their needs before your own?
Or
Does is it mean putting yourself and your needs first…therefore trusting they will figure what they need to on their own…?
At what point do we get to decide which is which? At what point do we see what the right answer to these questions is?
Is it when you decide to stand for one and against the other that you find clarity of mind?
What happens when you feel and believe that what is best for you is what is best for other people?
What happens when you are faced with a decision or decisions that might go against what other people have set out for themselves which is in service to them but they believe it is also in service to you?
Who is right and who is wrong?
I believe that consciously choosing to do what is right for you, is and will automatically be right for those around you. However, I didn’t always believe that.
After years of making decisions which where aligned with being in service to others and their needs, with the belief that I was also benefiting (learning) from it…I often wonder how much of that was me belittling myself and shrinking myself. How much of that was based off of my lack of self-confidence, and courage to make choices that would reflect the greatness that is within me. How much of that was based off of feeling not enough, not worthy and not brave enough to believe in myself and my purpose on earth. How much of that has resulted in missed chances and opportunities that were meant for me, had I been focusing on finding my passion and purpose.
Does any of this matter?
Does spending time and energy asking these questions serve the person I have become due to those past decisions?
The answers are…
YES
And YES.
I have learned that everything that we experience in life, every decision we make in life is a result of who we are and what we are experiencing at that point in time. That point in time is part of your journey. The decisions you make out of the circumstances you are faced with are a part of your journey in this life.
If you stop to pay attention to what is happening in your life, you will realize that there is a lot you can learn about who you are and what your purpose in this life is/might be.
I stopped regretting my past the moment I realized there was a lot for me to learn from it. For the longest time I struggled with figuring out what my purpose in life is. As a result, I was drown to people who seemed to have that part of themselves figured out. Where and how it started I have no idea but I became the person whom I believe was seen as the giver and always ready to lend a hand. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed being that person and being of service to others. Matter of fact I have since learned that I enjoy being that person. So where did the pain and confusion come from? Where did the lack in self-confidence and courage come from?
Well…
That came from looking at those who seemed to have it figured out and realizing that I wanted to also have it all figured out. I also want to know what excited me and makes me want to jump out of bed in the morning. I also wanted to know what my purpose is. Looking back at it now, I realize I was too busy comparing what others around me had which I also wanted to have that I became blind to what I did have. Right in front of me. Sitting there. Arms wide open, welcoming me to see it, to become one with it and rejoice in it and with it. But I was too busy looking right past it.
‘But now you see it’ you say…
Yes, I do see it. And how I got here is a story for another time.
What this journey has taught me, (and I call it a journey because that’s what it has been) is the importance of paying attention. Paying attention to every bit of conversation, relationship, encounter, you name it, that you come across because therein lies the answers to all your questions. Even the questions you didn’t even know you had or answers you didn’t even know you needed. I have also learned from those past decisions that my purpose is to be of service to others. Through being an instrument in their own journey towards their awesome selves. The only difference between then and now is; now I understand what I have. And I am walking towards it, arms wide open and welcoming the journey that comes once we become one.
There isn’t and shouldn’t be any room for regrets in life. For regrets never serve who we are and who we are becoming.
Who are we to deny the experiences that come and go in our lives? How else would we grow and elevate in life…not just on an intellectual and emotional level but on a spiritual level?
Therefore, every decision you make at any point in your life is to be thanked, not lamented. For it has brought you and will continue to bring you to exactly where you need to be. All you have to do is to take notes while you learn and keep moving to the rhythm that is your life.
I would love to hear your thoughts on this…