On living vs. LIVING !

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From 2016 to 2017, I was LIVING ! in San Francisco. Every day, as I woke up, I felt a sense of excitement, wonder and I was looking forward to what the day had in store for me. I knew there would be beautiful surprises along the way, lovely connections, and I was living with a sense of awe and wonder. Each day mattered. Each moment mattered.

I had that same experience when I was in India, in Auroville and also LIVING for two months at the Sri Aurobindo Ashram in Pondicherry. I was not doing much, but my BEING was fully ALIVE and AWAKE. My heart was grand open, and I was experiencing bliss, awe, wonder, love and gratitude most of my waking hours. I also loved that my mind was silent, I didn’t have that constant chatter and doubt that can usually pollute my daily experience.

In the article, I will explore the distinction between living, and LIVING.

How do you know when you are living?

First, you might want to check with yourself:

Am I above the line, or below the line?

Here are a few more signs to look for:

-You are feeling bored

-You are waiting for the next day to feel better

-You are waiting for something to happen to feel better (later)

-Your life is OK, and that’s enough:

If your life is a 6/10, that’s definitely a sign you are only living. 2/10: you are probably in a depressed state. You need to get some help to go through that state,clean up what you need to and take your life back in your hands.

(By the way, your rating is purely subjective, you can be a 10/10 because you are fully satisfied with everything you have and are right now. It doesn’t have to depend on accomplishments. There are moments in my life where I feel that my life is a 10/10, because I grab the last packet of miso soup, and I heat up rice in the microwave, ant that’s all I need to feel nourished for the evening. That’s a 10/10. And that doesn’t take away amazing coaching experiences I invest in, which make me feel amazing and grow myself and my business, which are 11/10.)

-You are hesitating between invitations, things to do, because secretly, you know that none of them really excite you (they are not 8/10 or above). (Yes, if it was a 10/10 invitation, it would be a Heaven Yes !)

Here is a poem by Khalil Gibran to reflect this:

“Do not love half lovers
Do not entertain half friends
Do not indulge in works of the half talented
Do not live half a life
and do not die a half death
If you choose silence, then be silent
When you speak, do so until you are finished
Do not silence yourself to say something
And do not speak to be silent
If you accept, then express it bluntly
Do not mask it
If you refuse then be clear about it
for an ambiguous refusal is but a weak acceptance
Do not accept half a solution
Do not believe half truths
Do not dream half a dream
Do not fantasize about half hopes
Half a drink will not quench your thirst
Half a meal will not satiate your hunger
Half the way will get you no where
Half an idea will bear you no results
Your other half is not the one you love
It is you in another time yet in the same space
It is you when you are not
Half a life is a life you didn’t live,
A word you have not said
A smile you postponed
A love you have not had
A friendship you did not know
To reach and not arrive
Work and not work
Attend only to be absent
What makes you a stranger to them closest to you
and they strangers to you
The half is a mere moment of inability
but you are able for you are not half a being
You are a whole that exists to live a life
not half a life.”

LIVING is a place to come from, not a place to get to.

Good news:

LIVING is a state of being. You can “get there” right now.

What would I be feeling if I was fully LIVING?

Make a list, and take the time to feel.

What would I be doing if I was fully LIVING?

Make a list.

The good news is: LIVING doesn’t have to depend on something in the future. Yes, living in a place you are in love with helps greatly. Yes, having that perfect job makes LIVING more effortless. Yes, this relationship that you truly desire will contribute to making you happy.

And: you don’t have to wait for these things to happen to live fully NOW.

Take your list of things you would do if you were fully LIVING, and do them NOW.

Drop that B.S. story of: “I will do this when…”

Do these thing right now ! Or plan them into your near future (No, you won’t have more time when you retire).

How do you move to LIVING?

Well, you take the Big Leap.

(Read Gay Hendrick’s book with that title, or my article on How to Jump.)

You move out of your sweet and comfortable fish pond, and you jump into the next. You will have much more space for your Being to unfold, and Miracles will happen at a much larger scale and accelerated rate. Your heart will open and bloom. I heard a specialist say that your environment is responsible for 1/3 of what you attract (I say: create) in your life. You get to choose in which fish pond you want to play.

“Come to the edge,” he said.
“We can’t, we’re afraid!” they responded.
“Come to the edge,” he said.
“We can’t, We will fall!” they responded.
“Come to the edge,” he said.
And so they came.
And he pushed them.
And they flew.”

Guillaume Apollinaire

My friend, the great coach David Vox, one day told me:

“Every day needs to be your birthday.”

That struck me, and reminded me of this experience of daily excitement, vitality and gratitude that is possible for everyone. That is LIVING.

If you would like support to take your life to the next level,  reach out to me and tell me more !