Recently, I stumbled upon the quote in this picture story and it struck a sensitive cord that provoked me to think, reflectively. As a corollary, I'm committed to sharing some of these unique perspectives and profound insights with you on this post. Stay in the loop and let's dive right in!
I must admit quite frankly, it introduced to me new albeit, arcane horizons of life which represents individual perspectives of how we view life. Perspective changes how we see things, including life. Now, if we take more than a cursory look at this quote, we will be confronted with a probable dilemma-all about life and what life is all about.
From an interrogative perspective, what is all about life? May I start with a disclaimer that there is no one_size_fits_all answer to this question because life is really what you make of it. Life is one word comprising four letters just as love. Life is one long process of getting tired, said by a discerning philosopher. Truth is, nobody can really figure out what life is all about-just when you think you have seen it all, life happens.
Take the case of the novel corona virus code-named Covid-19 that has taken the world by storm, ravaging and pillaging nations, for instance. For a person who lived through the 70s and 80s and had never experienced such pandemic of monumental scale, who probably thinks they have seen it all, life throws a curve that begins to challenge every prior experience they had, hitherto. Such is the constantly evolving cycle called life, we are living in. Life is a question that only you can answer according to your experiences and you can't go wrong with what you come up with. Life is a series of questions with no marking guide. To cap it all off for this segment, life, according to Bishop T.D. Jakes, the renowned American televangelist, best selling author and actor, is a series of matrix.
Moving on to my second chicken wing-what is life all about? Juxtapose it with the first, and they almost sound like a play on words. Whichever way you look at them, head or tail, there's still a fine line between the two; akin to six and half a dozen. However, I feel more comfortable answering this question than the former, for obvious reasons. Methinks, the former is somewhat intangible while the latter is tangible. Similarly, while the former is infinite, the latter to a very large degree is, finite. For the avoidance of any doubts, empirical or logical, these viewpoints are however, highly subjective. The ability to answer this all important question, for any individual, gets him off to a good start in the journey of life. For, it is not just a random question, but a game-changer question every committed and dedicated student of the school of life must come to ask his or herself. Pause, take a necessary breather and ask yourself these questions:
- What am I here for?
- Why was I born in the first instance?
- Why was I born into my immediate family?
- Why was I born into my state or country of origin?
- What are my achievements so far in life?
- Am I living a fulfilled life?
These are hypotheses designed to help you figure out your life's direction.
The word purpose leaped out of me as I began to consider these questions. Everything about this question and the hypotheses above revolve around that word, purpose. The place of purpose in living a successful and productive life cannot be taken for granted. A quote I put on my Whatsapp status sometime ago reads, the purpose of life is to live a life of purpose. It is very imperative that you figure out the purpose of your own life. This is what determines your mindset and your belief system, which is a product of your thoughts and, which in turn influences your actions, choices and by extension your decisions. All about life doesn't really matter in priority to what life is all about. I understand that you may not have a clue to all about life, but for what life is all about?, no alibi is fashionable. It is at the forefront of the series of fact finding questions you must answer to flag off a fulfilled journey of life. The purpose of life is what drives you and what you practically live for. It behooves on you therefore, to examine your life and find out what you were born to do and start doing same without prevarication. As according to Socrates, an unexamined life is not worth living.
Still exploring what life is all about, life actually is about everything worthwhile that matters to us and the people around us. Life is all about everything humane, everything that edifies humanity. It is a teaching moment where we get to pay attention to everything including virtues that make life spicy. Life is all about love and being there, through thick and thin for the people in your circle of love. Life is all about forgiveness, by forgiving those who trespass against you, you tend to find closure whilst instilling peace into your being. Life is about being vicious in going after what you really desire and believe in. Life is about taking risks, not just any kind of risks, but calculated risks which game is worth the candle. Life is about change, repentance and retribution. Life is all about understanding causes and effects, seed time and harvest time. Life is all about acceptance and understanding. Life is all about knowing your right from your left whilst being tactful enough to keep your left from knowing what your right is up to. Life is all about knowing that not everything that counts is counted and not all that is counted, counts. Life is all about the past, present and the future.
Further to the foregoing, it is abundantly clear that life demands our responsibility in one way or the other. It is often said that life is not a bed of roses, but at the same time, as you make your bed so shall you lie on it. Who says you cannot make yourself a bed of roses in life, to lie on? We also know that life is not fair in that, life doesn't give you what you deserve, but what you demand and work for. Otherwise, if life is liberal enough to give every man what he deserves, beggars might ride on horses. You can become whatever you want in life given the right attitude and mindset. Your mind is where it all starts. According to Napoleon Hill, 'whatsoever the mind can conceive (picture) and believe, it can achieve' (emphasis mine). Your dreams are valid and achievable as well. Look on the optimistic side of life and chase your dreams. An optimist sees the glass as half full. Begin with those little steps you can take, from where you are, to do the things God has put in your heart to do. Do it consistently and passionately. It won't be long and the heights of your dreams will be your conquest.
Friends, your gifts will make room for you!
Feel free to drop your reactions in the comments section. Be in the loop for more insightful posts about life on my blog which are sure to come your way subsequently.
To your successful and productive life,
Emmaculate.
