There’s no index, no dictionary, no guidebook for life, so everyone before us made it up as they went along.
And we just keep doing what the people before us did.
But it’s not 1900 anymore… and we’re using a model for life that’s about as old, outdated, and useless as these owners manuals you know everyone’s mom is keeping around the house… (*Edit* Whoops, this post shamed my mom into dumping hers! But I love stuff like this so much, it’s what moms do!)
We GET to have a completely different way of life – we GET to because we GOT Thomas Jefferson’s permission in America’s Declaration of Independence:
And I quote*:
“It’s ok to do what you love and are good at. You’re here for a reason and you’re supposed to be happy about how you spend your time and energy!”
*Not an exact quote
But people forgot.
And our current model for life tells us, “Happiness belongs in layaway” – You get to peek at it from time to time, even get some happiness out every now and then…
But the model said “money” and “job” so we took jobs we don’t care about.
Doing work that doesn’t matter to us.
Because this old, outdated, useless model says: “that’s just how it is.”
So even though we’re at the most momentous time in history – we don’t even realize what we could have.
Who we could be.
How LIFE could be.
We certainly don’t see it, let alone BELIEVE it!
Because along with easier lives (which we spend Facebooking and drinking away those “I’m meant for more” feelings at breweries), our parents (through no fault of their own) handed down the “rules” about how we’re supposed to live.
They told us the same story they heard:
“Get good grades – so you can get into a good school – so you can get a good job – so you can get good and deep in debt.”But none of this makes life FEEL good!
We grew up with stars in our eyes, singing along to the radio, believing we were going to be celebrities and world changers.
But when you hear it enough, you start believing the “No’s” and “That’s not possible’s” our society, our schools, our parents, our culture…
…EVERYone seemed to be saying.
“Be realistic” turned into “I can’t”
“Not possible” turned into “Not possible for ME.”
And now, we don’t NEED our parents, society, friends, or culture to tell us no… because now we tell OURSELVES no.
Once I heard a speaker say:
“What would you do if there was no one there to tell you no?”
We’re too advanced, with access to too much technology, resources, and connections to believe we have to follow this model anymore.
We’re filled to the brim with knowledge.
We’re bursting at the seams to make things happen.
We’ve been waiting on permission… without realizing that permission comes when we believe we CAN.
When we learn what that takes.
When we realize we GET to.
We GET to pioneer a new way of life.
We GET to update the model we’ve been following.
That means we GET to break the rules, explore who we were always meant to be, and write a new story: our own personal excellence guidebook.
We’re designing a new model.
We’re making the pursuit of happiness “normal.”
Are you coming?