This is one of my favorites written about a year ago, I thought it was worth a second pass...
As I was driving on Saturday morning, my mind was full as it so often is...
My past does not conclude me, but rather propels me...
My dreams do not distract me, but rather direct me...
My present does not consume me, but rather defines me...
...
my gratitude...
my joy...
my effort...
my RESOLVE
...
I had dropped off my son at cross country practice and had gone to buy my protein snacks. I love mornings. I don't meditate, but I hear myself clearer in the mornings. In the morning the background noises of the day have not filled my head. It is just me and myself having a conversation...
I am so very inspired by life, and so very grateful to be living. I feel a sense of responsibility for life that too often weighs heavy on me. I have gotten better at accepting that we all are responsible for our own journeys. I no longer try to own or feel guilty for other people's journey... not my parents, not my children, not my good friends, not my colleagues.
There is this line between my desire to influence and support and love, and the sense in my past that somehow I was responsible for their outcomes. I am convinced that the vast majority of human beings want to be FREE, want to choose their own lives, their own journeys. And, I do think that when we do, we do a better job of owning our own mistakes, and initiating the best version of ourselves.
I want to be the spark, because now I realize I can't be anyone else's fire.
I want to be the wind that fans the flames, because now I realize that we can all use help in burning brighter and bigger.
It was a beautiful morning on Saturday, and I was lost in a conversation with myself. And, these words screamed in my head... to the point where I had to literally pull off the road to capture them. I wrote them on Facebook. To many, it was probably just another random interpretation of a common concept. We hear quotes and thoughts all the time. They are just words, right?
Inspiration comes from within. And, I will read these words over and over again, I suspect for the rest of my life. The thought is certainly not original, but the concept is all powerful. For whatever reason, they fan my flame.
Reminding myself every morning in the conversation with myself - that my past DOES NOT CONCLUDE ME. Today is NOT an END, but a beginning. My failures and my short comings are not a LIMITATION but rather a STARTING POINT. My mistakes do not SLOW ME DOWN but rather FUEL ME and TEACH ME. MY PAST is NOT WHO I AM, NOR WHO I WILL BE... It's WHO I've BEEN!
The future does not scare me. None of it scares me. I don't fear failure anymore, nor death. I fear wasting time. I fear not making decisions that continue to help me grow and understand my true self. The future does not necessarily inspire me more than the past or the present. I am inspired by all of it. The future does not cause anxiety in me. My dreams for the future show me the vision of the man and the person I want to be.
The NOW... that is where I live. That is who I am. That is where I exist. That is where I grow. That is where I feel... joy and grief... the NOW is the only thing that is REAL.
These thoughts apply not just to myself, but to my relationships (to the extent that I can influence them - and I can), to my business, to my faith, to my friendships... The power in these thoughts and in all of the concepts of harmony to me is that they are not ONLY about me - they are about US - they are about LIFE and all aspects of it. We so often want to categorize what we learn into buckets - but there truly is a connectedness to all I learn - there is an applicability that knows no boundaries.
So, as I start my day today, I am going to "virtually" pull of the road... and take a deep breath, and read and own these words again... and I hope, you have a moment to do the same.
My past does not conclude me, but rather propels me...
My dreams do not distract me, but rather direct me...
My present does not consume me, but rather defines me...
... my gratitude... my joy... my effort... my resolve
...
That was it... That is it... Just words... Just life... Just meaning...
JUST FIRE ROARING, FLAMES BURNING... SPARKS FLYING ;-)
Yours in harmony,
Nestor