are you
truly
alive?
Recently, I read something that really stuck in my brain. It was talking about the idea of possessing or cultivating a talent in some area or another, and how we all strive to become proficient or even excellent at a number of things throughout our lives. (I always wanted to be able to sing like Celine Dion, but here we are.) Sometimes we choose to practice things we have a natural inclination toward, sometimes the talent brings us money, sometimes we want to do it because our friends are doing it, etc – there are lots of reasons we might practice or decide to pursue something.
This article, however, presented the idea that the greatest talent any of us could pursue or cultivate is the talent of living life itself. Actually LIVING: being present, and fully alive. And it’s a talent every single one of us is capable of excelling in.
do you
feel truly
alive?
Do you feel fully alive in your life? Do you feel true joy each day witnessing the sun rise, soaking up the insane variety of colors that your eyes are able to perceive? Or all the different flavors and textures your tongue is able to experience? What about the actually incredible spectrum of sounds and smells we are surrounded with? Have you stopped to consider how insanely miraculous this all is?
Over the past year or so, this has been my main pursuit: to feel joy, to develop the neural pathways, the behaviors, and the habits to keep my focus on the magic, the fantastic, and the wonderful. And let me tell you – it wasn’t easy. Creating new thought patterns and changing my natural/developed reactions to specific stimuli took a significant amount of attention and effort, especially at first.
Now don’t come at me with your toxic positivity accusations blah blah bullshit – I’m not saying everything is perfect all of the time. But what I am saying, is that we have the ability to choose what we focus on. I know that if I focus on my anxieties, they will, indeed, grow. That which I choose to give my energy will expand. Our thought patterns are habitual, and often we’ve had the same patterns for years/decades, which has created some pretty strong neural pathways. These habits are often so engrained that it’s easy to say “well that’s just the way I am!”
But according to science, your brain is malleable! You aren’t stuck! And that’s pretty cool. Honestly, is there anything more hopeful?! Truly, by changing your focus, you will change your entire life experience.
Now there are a variety of different ways to approach this change, but for me, traveling is one of the best ways I’m able to literally remove myself from my everyday surroundings/habits and kickstart the implementation of new perspectives and ideas. Leading retreats has become something I absolutely cherish, because I know I’m good at helping others feel truly alive. I’m not going to wow you with my own rendition of It’s All Coming Back to me Now – but I WILL help you feel empowered to create a life you are honestly excited about. I promise it’s possible.
I hope you become excellent at truly feeling alive.
xoxo,
Brittany