What do you want right now, in this “empty” season?
Welcome to this little bit of time out. Time to ponder. To imagine your goals anew. It’s a form of play that can, well, change your life! So stay with me here.
I’m thinking about my own ongoing progress toward my heartfelt goals. And I’m ever and again surprised by my changing priorities. New drives and dreams that I couldn’t have predicted a year ago are front and center now. Can you relate?
It’s exciting, and maybe maddening, especially for those who love us. It can cause us—and others—anxiety, too.
But it’s not really surprising if we take time to reflect on it all. After all, modern life is long, and we’re living in an amazing age. So why not go for the gusto?
My father’s story
I flash on my father starting his forestry career in the early ’50s. He was 18 years old and fresh out of trade school. He did more training through correspondence courses later.
In those early days, he marked timber in the swamps of south Florida. He tells stories of being up to his waist in who knew what. Sandwich strapped to his back to keep it (relatively) dry. Ugh!
Modern life is long, and we’re
living in an amazing age.
So why not go for the gusto?
Four decades later, when he left that multi-national company in his late 50s to become a personal trainer, his role as a by-then VP in the company had morphed over and over. Meanwhile he raised three kids with my mom, pursued passions for physical fitness, music, and more, and certified as a trainer.
He retired from that mega-corporation as keeper of digital land records for all holdings. By then it was a tech gig through and through.
This daddy’s girl knows the keys to his success included adaptability, a habit of saying, “sure, I can do that” and then figuring it out, and just plain steady growth. No standing still. Year after year.
Fast forward
The wildest part of this story is that that was then—the last few years of the 20th century, when things were heating up big-time—and this is now, with the proverbial lid blown off. The world is changing lightning fast these days. Under our feet. Under our fingertips. All around us. All the time. So what’s a human to do?
The truth is, continuous growth and development seem like necessary self-defense, even just self-care, in the midst of it all. And guess what? Growth often means change. Permission to change. To shake things up.
The world is changing lightning fast
these days, all around us.
what’s a human to do?
So today I’m thinking about one particular insight from some training I did back in the day. It has aided me in countless ways since.
It’s the principle that, well, basically, life is empty, my dears. Oh, and it’s meaningless, too. Stay with me here.
Emptiness and us
I know this news may not make your day. And of course it’s meant to grab your attention. Ultimately it’s about freedom. Freedom to create your own meaning.
For a minute, consider this empty worldview the cleanest of slates. Imagine life without anyone expecting anything in particular of you. Or maybe they do, but in a meaningless universe, what does it matter? Only as much as you want it to.
And of course I’m playing with you a bit, to get you thinking, and then to ask you this: When you imagine the absence of whatever seems to limit your choices, what’s most important to you?
What, in your heart of hearts, is deeply meaningful? What could you daydream and scheme about night after so-inspired-that-you’re-sleepless night?
What, in your heart of hearts,
is deeply meaningful?
And maybe as you’re reading this, you know in your heart and in your gut that you’re already living all that. If so, bravo! Rock on, relishing every minute.
Imagine your life
If not, then start reflecting on what really is vital to you, and what might just be habit. Ways of thinking, feeling, and living on auto-pilot. Settling. Giving up.
Try envisioning everything that’s most real and important to you. Then hold onto that vision. Play with it. Give it space. Develop and expand it! Not as wishful thinking, but as a fresh new way of working on your personal and professional goals.
Because there’s real power in getting crystal clear on what matters most to you. You deserve that! Next step after you imagine your goals anew is to create some next steps. Haha. But for real.
And as you do that great, potentially life-changing work, reach out for expert support toward the 100% clarity and inspired forward movement that you also deserve. I’ll be privileged to assist, from my beautiful, empty reality. :)