Thoughts on a Joseph Campbell quote...

"We must be willing to get rid of the life we planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us." ~Joseph Cambpell

There is so much truth behind this message. Too often we plan our lives, setting them in stone, and not allowing ourselves any room to wiggle. When the journey of our lives does not go according to plan we are devastated. This is a lesson I have learned.

My life was planned out to the last detail... down to when I was going to get married, when I would receive promotions, when I would have kids and exactly how many I would have. I remember during my college years, professors asking us for a diagram, a timeline, of what our expectations were going to be for the next 2, 5, 10, 20 years. So, I completed my assignment and then I attempted to accomplish every piece of it. What was the end result? I failed miserably.

I was certainly on track when it came to my professional career, receiving promotion after promotion and not realizing I was stuck in a job that did not fulfill me or the divine nature within me. Looking back, how did I possibly think that selling clothes was making a difference in my world and the bigger world outside of me? How was I helping others? I do not look back with regret for I believe there is no room in my life for feelings of regret or guilt. I make the choice to learn and move forward. I learn from the past and move into a positive direction. So, back to the dreaded timeline... my romantic life was a shambles... first I reached the time I was supposed to get married. That time came and went with no success. And with no husband in sight, the time I had set to have children was quickly approaching with me now sitting in front of the TV watching A Wedding Story and crying after every 30 minute episode. And I don’t mean a trickle of a tear sliding down my cheek, I mean boo-hoo-try-to-catch-my-breath crying. Well, this time of watching all of my friends getting married, having kids, and living this life that was supposed to be mine absolutely destroyed me. I was MISERABLE... and found myself now thinking that possibly every man just around the corner may be "the one." Hell, if he called me back he must be the one, right?! Looking back, I am so thankful NONE of my past relationships worked out because NONE of them were the one. I would still be miserable today and more than likely divorced.

I remained in this state of feeling that my life was headed in the wrong direction; sad because I didn’t "accomplish" all that I was meant to do. ....And then... a shift began to happen, little by little I began to LET GO of what I thought my life was supposed to be. I quit my retail management job, moved back to my hometown, and back in with my parents (egads... at 30 years old!!). Then 2 amazing books came across my path - The Spontaneous Fulfillment of Desire (Deepak Chopra) and Inspiration: Finding Your Ultimate Calling (Wayne Dyer). Those 2 books, alone, were instrumental in leading me into the path I am on today. I became employed as a personal secretary to this amazing couple that began to open my eyes to a new way of thinking. And through all of this... a shift in my consciousness began to happen...I started to reconnect with Spirit, with the Source of who we really are within...

I now had a new plan. I remember calling my brother and telling him, "I have a new plan for my life.... to have NO PLAN!!" He laughed and being the amazing brother that he is and understanding the essence of life more than me... he completely understood. So, I let go of every notion of what I thought my life was supposed to be, I gave myself a clean slate to start with, and opened myself up to every and any possiblity that was going to come my way. And guess what? I am now living the life that I was meant to live. I don’t "work," I live as a creative being through the path of a yoga instructor, a photographer, and yes, even as a personal admin assistant extraordinaire... and with each day, asking myself, "What can I do in my life to help others?" I have found my true purpose in being here and I look forward to the continued journey ahead... remembering to live fully within the present, of course!

So, take a lesson frome me... don’t hold on to the reigns of your life too tight. Give yourself room to breathe and grow, trust in the nature of who you are, and live the life you are meant to live.

Namaste