“If the whole world followed you, would you be pleased with where you took it?” ~Neale Donald Walsch
How crazy easy is it to get caught up in what others believe is ‘doing the right thing’?! Whether it is staying in a job you don’t like or a relationship that isn’t what it should be it is easy to frame it as the ‘right thing’ because that is how others perceive it. Here is the thing though, it is NOT the right thing if it is not authentic to who you are.
When I saw a statistic and read Laura Juarez’s blog this week,” 63.93 Billion People World Wide & Not One Single Duplicate” , it was another reminder, yet with more of an impact with a number like 63.93 billion, that we are here to serve as ourselves.
Can you use your job, your spouse, your kids, your income, your house, your debt, the weather, your friends, your parents, your religion, your location, your co-workers, your age, your pet goldfish, etc. as a reason to stay in an environment where you are not serving at your greatest capacity, the capacity you were created to serve in, yes you can use those excuses. The outcome however is that you do a disservice to all those you say you are doing it for, the litany of the list above along with whatever else you desire to include. Why? Because you are teaching them that not being authentic is okay. You are teaching them that not being who you were created to be is okay. You are teaching them to settle. You are teaching them to live a life of convenience rather than a life of worth. The life that you and they were created for.
Certainly none of us sets out intentionally thinking, what I want my legacy to be is a legacy of convenience. Most of us want our lives to be a life of worth and contribution to the greater good, which includes our family, friends and pet goldfish. Can you live ‘happily’ living the life of convenience? Yep (in theory). Can you live a true life of example, genuine happiness and live gloriously in a life of convenience? Nope. Do you want to pretend that short-term hurt or lack of comfort is more important than long-term results, then go for the convenient life (which by the way is not always easy or enjoyable either.)
The choice is yours. Do you want an easy life or a worthwhile life? Do you want to contribute on an average scale or a glorious one? Do you want to change (or maintain) one or two lives or do you want to live in a manner that empowers EVERYONE that comes in contact with you? Again, the choice is yours. The consequences are everyone’s.
Will you dare to be great?