The Buried Life
Friday, April 16th 2010 @ 2:03 PM (not yet rated)
But often, in the world's most crowded streets,
But often, in the din of strife,
There rises an unspeakable desire
After the knowledge of our buried life;
A thirst to spend our fire and restless force
In tracking out our true, original course;
A longing to inquire
Into the mystery of this heart which beats
So wild, so deep in us--to know
Whence our lives come and where they go.
- Matthew Arnold, The Buried Life
Are you living the life you’ve always dreamed of living? Or do you feel like you are living the “just for now” version of your life where you do all the things you are “suppose to” do but don’t really want to?
If you are like most women you may feel trapped in suspended animation going through the motions of caring for your family, doing what you need to do at work, managing your household, and just trying to get by. You keep thinking that someday you will really live YOUR life. You’ll take that trip you’ve been dreaming about, have lunches with your friends, take a nap in the middle of the day, or finally cross some of those things off your bucket list…
But then someday never comes, does it?
In my coaching practice, we put a lot of focus on helping people begin living their someday lives now - stepping out of the story that there is any good reason to put off living a life full of joy, adventure, and meaning.
The other day, Oprah had on the cast from a show called, The Buried Life. If you haven’t seen it, there are four 20 something boys who go around the country experiencing things on their list of stuff they’ve always wanted to do.
Along the way, they find regular people and encourage them to do something they’ve always wanted to do before they die.
So far, the boys have accomplished things like shooting hoops with the President, helping deliver a baby, asking out the girl of their dreams, and attending a party at the Playboy Mansion. They’ve also helped people along the way do things like: conquer a fear of heights by going to the top of the Sears Tower with her, helping a girl visit her mother’s grave for the first time, and encouraging a dad to get in touch with the son he hasn’t spoken to in 17 years.
Now, you may be thinking, “That’s all well and good, but what does it have to do with me? Of course, if I was only twenty and had no family, career, or responsibilities, it would be EASY to do all of those things!”
Well my friends, this is your wake up call to action.
Anyone, I repeat, ANYONE can create the life they want at any time. It is simply a DECISION you make to not have it any other way.
Believe me, I used to be locked up the same way you are right now. I didn’t see any way I could wear pajamas to work, make a ton of money only working a few hours per week, or visit exotic locations while someone else paid the bill. Yet, those are just a few of the things on my someday life list that I’ve already experienced.
If your someday life is buried under a pile of duties, lists, and obligations; it’s time to get out the shovel. If you’ve lost touch with that unspeakable desire to follow the true purpose of your life and restore meaning to your existence, I invite you today to make the commitment to choose to designate TODAY as the someday you’ve been waiting for.
If you need to start small that’s okay. Maybe just making your list is your first step. Be bold, daring, and courageous. Imagine no limits and write down all the things you’ve been longing to do.
Once you have the list, pick something to start with. Maybe you are ready to leap out of the box with something huge like scheduling that trip abroad you’ve been saving for or test driving the luxury car that’s been on your vision board, or…
Maybe you choose something closer to your comfort zone that you KNOW you can do. Just TAKE THE STEP.
I recently signed up for guitar lessons. I’ve wanted to learn to play for at least 10 years. When my daughter was born (6 ½ years ago!) my husband bought me a guitar as a way of saying, “You can still have your dreams.”
It’s been collecting dust in the corner ever since.
So… in the spirit of resurrecting my buried life, I took my first guitar lesson 2 weeks ago. It was AWESOME! I felt so excited and ALIVE when I left there. The possibilities seem endless. I can already imagine playing around the campfire with my family this summer.
Am I good at it yet? Heck, no! Was I scared and off balance and self conscious as I sat there wondering what I had gotten myself into? Absolutely! But that, my friend, is living… it’s what this life experience is all about.
I promise to post a video of me playing the guitar as soon as I learn my first song. It’s my way of inspiring you to take a risk and choose to enjoy your life everyday.
What will you commit to pursuing first on your Buried Life list? It’s time to dust it off and get going!
Carpe Diem!
