Are You Taking Your Own Advice?
Everyone has a Lunatic Gene. This is the part of you that makes seemingly crazy decisions. Whether that propels you to a path of self-destruction or a meaningful life is up to you. Those who take their own advice are generally on the positive side of the equation.
Why is it that I have met builders who do a fabulous job for everyone else, yet their own home needs work? Consultants who can see clearly what needs to improve in everyone else’s business, yet their own is less than perfect. The doting parent who hands out pearls of wisdom to their children, that they do not do themselves. The list goes on. Obviously, this is a generalisation, and of course there are builders, consultants, and parents out there who do not fall into this category, yet I don’t know many. But I don’t know many builders!
One thing that the journey into personal development has taught me is that everyone has their own achilles heel
From this space it is your choice whether to make sense of why your life has given you the set of challenges that you have faced so far, or buckle under them. Have they led you to simply existing in other people’s realities, or defining your own?
From working with those facing imminent death, it has become clear to me that many of the regrets of people at the end of their lives revolve around having no clear sense of purpose for themselves. Warning symptoms are a need to put other people’s happiness above your own, not feeling that you are here as a master of your own destiny, and not following your heart because of fear about where it will lead.
My biggest mistake
I’ve spent most of my life trying to fit in with other people’s expectations of me. In my ongoing journey into the world of personal development and 13 years of looking after the critically and terminally ill, I have finally learned to put my own needs first. When I see something that needs fixing in someone else, I simply apply the lesson to myself. For example, when I think someone is being unreasonable, I simply explore where I may be being unreasonable in other areas of my life. This empowers me to control what charges me and what doesn’t. The entire lesson is summed up nicely in the quote “We do not see the world as it is, we see it as we are.”
In your life there is only one person whose opinion really matters
It has taken me a long time to reach this point but now that I finally have, life has become much more fun. Also, now that I have written a book, I know that my legacy will live on for those who are interested in it. I would love to insert a plethora of data and research into this article about the importance of having a strong sense of purpose in your business and life, but I will resist for the sake of brevity.
I give talks and run workshops to prove this and help people discover what really matters to them in business and life
Many are surprised with the results. If you are not at peace with your life right now, here are a few questions for you to explore: Do you believe in yourself? Do you have a strong sense of purpose? Is your life enough fun? And if the highlights of your life were condensed into a book or film, how many people would read or watch it?
These are some questions to consider if you ever hope to make sense of your life. If you would like to know how 17 years growing up in a psychiatric hospital started me on this path, I invite you to discover your Lunatic Gene, and help you to make more sense of your life.
