I have heard and read the phrase, "do it like you've never done it before" from many authors and speakers. I have heard the phrase "work harder on yourself than you do on your job" from Jim Rohn many times. Every time I have heard these phrases, I had a vision of myself working harder and longer than I ever had before.
As of today, I now think of theses phrases in a way that will encourage expression instead of thoughtless effort, ease in place of struggling effort and meaning in place of empty effort. I think of Living "like I have never lived before", in terms of expressing myself openly and making decisions that leave shame nowhere in my heart.
A simple example of this would be, I have been wanting to lose weight and get my body in ideal condition, I also have decided that this summer I am going to get the best tan I have ever had, because I never have had a good tan. I have always had a hard time taking my shirt off in public unless I was swimming, because I was too white or not in good enough shape (waiting to express myself). I assume this comes from a lack of acceptance of myself, causing me to feel ashamed of my own body. So I have spent my entire life, hiding myself to avoid judgment, this is the opposite of living an expressive life. So this summer I am so committed to living an expressive life, that I am going to take my shirt off every chance I have to get some sun. (with sun block of course)
What I have noticed by taking my shirt off when I feel uncomfortable is, that when I expose myself openly to the world around me, I can no longer hide the things about myself I feel ashamed of. I suppose part of this process for me is defining where the shame stems from. My shame in my body comes from the fact that I am a little over weight. When I show this to the world, I am pronouncing to everyone around me that I am not making the effort in my physical exercise or diet to condition my body in a way that will allow me to live a more fulfilling life. So by taking my shirt off, I am forced to take accountability for this. At this point I can choose to either change this about myself, or accept it, and know that I do not need any acceptance from anyone other than myself. By continuing to go shirtless when possible, it will serve as a regular reminder for me that part of my vision is to be in the best physical condition I can be in , to serve me in my more fulfilling life.
My idea here, is that this will help stimulate action toward more physical exercise and a healthier diet, which I have been struggling with.
So this brings me to the question, how can we change our perception, to help us live a more fulfilling life? To this question, I would answer.....HUNGER FOR MORE (an unwillingness to continue to accept what we no longer desire for our life), what helped me to change this one perspective was purely a hunger deep inside me that I am no longer denying. This hunger desires only true lasting fulfillment, fulfillment that does not harm or inflict limitations on others or myself. This hunger has started to grow rapidly now that I have made a commitment to myself to live the life of my dreams, and to continue to practice dreaming. Recently I have been voicing my demands for a better life, not only to myself in my shelter of comfort, but I have been expressing it to everyone who will listen. This expression, is the best facilitator I have found for myself yet.
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