Life Is Awesome!

Most people would not believe their life is awesome. They struggle everyday in a relentless tug of war between money and time, there never seems to be enough of either. You often hear people say, "If only I won the lottery, life would be great!" Living in quiet desperation they look forward to some relief in the coming weekend or a well deserved vacation. Sadly, many find artificial joy and happiness in drugs and alcohol.

Recently Forbes and CNN reported a correlation between increased wealth and increased alcohol consumption, (likely drugs too). Also, in recent news articles, Canada is ranked #1 in alcohol related deaths amongst the wealthiest countries, (both accidental and disease related). So even those with money resort to artificial happiness to enhance their experience and increase the likelihood of dying earlier consuming it.

Why?

If you think winning a lottery is going to bring you a fulfilled life, think again.

So if it's not money or free time that brings fulfillment, what will?

Most people are so fixated on what's wrong in their world, they're blind to everything that's great! I'm a Transit Operator and every week there is a wheelchair bound man I assist on and off the bus. We call him "Speedy". Speedy can't speak, he makes grunt and groan sounds and has very limited control over his body. His head hangs down to the left and his arms are pointing off into different directions. Yet Speedy's mind is as sharp as yours or mine, he is very intelligent and understands the conversation you have with him. I can't begin to imagine how tough Speedy's life must be. Mentally sound, trapped in a body he can barely control.

It took several occasions securing him before I realized he was mentally "all there". So I started conversing with him as I would anyone else I'm assisting. Recently, I asked him to get a name tag so I can address him by name and told him, until then I will call him Richard. I could see him visibly smile, he may have even been laughing. I instantly knew my humorous commitment to acknowledge him by name made his day a little better. Now, I engage with Richard at every opportunity. Even wave at him as I pass by if he's not looking to board the bus. He always makes eye contact with me, as if looking to see if I'm driving. I know treating him like a normal human being has made a positive impact on him.

Here lies the secret to living a fulfilled and rewarding life.

No amount of money or free time can provide you the joy and happiness that spreading joy and happiness to others brings.

Providing unique, memorable, personalized experiences with no expectations of reward while in the service of others is an unrealized life purpose most people never figure out.

As a Transit Operator, I'm uniquely positioned to live a rewarding life by making many other lives a little better every day! The opportunity to help others is abundant, you just need to give it a try and see how it makes you feel.
Having an awesome life starts by being grateful each and everyday for what you have. Embracing every chance to engage others in a positive way is gold for living a fulfilled life.

To quote a cliche', "The best things in life are free".

Imagine for a moment, what would happen if you started thinking life is awesome all the time? Do you think the chances your life will become awesome increases?

Need proof? Reverse that thinking and imagine you're feeling sick all the time. What do you think would happen after just a couple days or weeks?

If you have been thinking how hard life is for years, you can expect life to continue being hard for years to come.

Change the way you think and you'll change your world! Living your life from an "attitude of gratitude" everyday makes your life awesome.

... best of all it doesn't cost anything or take up any extra time!

Even when life tries to get you down you'll find greater strength to deal with it. When you're grateful for all that is good in your life and staying mindful of your thoughts all the time, magic starts happening. After awhile, your life becomes awesome, no matter what challenges you face!

Dedicate your life to having an awesome day and you will have an awesome life!

Until next time, stay focused!