Living Large (part 1)

Life can be fun if you know how to live it well.  I know it is possible to lead a large life and see the beauty that comes up every day in spite of what other people might think. To be able to do that there are some things that you have to learn, unlearn, or relearn about life. This article suggests some things to consider if you want to lead a large life:

Live intentionally: If you want to live a large life, you need to learn how to be intentional about everything you do and will do.  Without purpose, life itself becomes a burden and a task to fulfill instead of joy to behold.

You need to learn to live deliberately because that is how you can see the beauty in everything around you. If you do not live intentionally, you will end up living in chaos. To live intentionally, ask yourself what your purpose is. Why are you alive today? What can you do today to make life better for the people around you? How can you contribute to the greater good? It is as you are intentional about every moment of your life that you can truly live.

Learn to forgive: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said: “Forgiveness is not an occasional act, it is a constant attitude.” Therefore, learning to forgive yourself and others is key to living in harmony with yourself and others. Living in unforgiveness can keep you in bondage and bitterness. According to William Arthur Ward “forgiveness is a funny thing. It warms the heart and cools the sting accordingly.” It is only a person with a matured heart that will refuse to hold other people down. If you want to be free and happy, do not keep any record of wrongdoing against you. You need to forgive freely to live freely and large.      

Learn to serve: Theologian Albert Schweitzer once noted “seek always to do some good, somewhere. Every man has to seek in his own way to realize his true worth. You must give some time to your fellow man. For remember, you don’t live in a world all your own. Your brothers are here too.” To live large, you need to develop the capacity to help someone somewhere, somehow and sometime. One way to serve others is to identify needs and find ways to meet them. Greatness is rooted in service.  Be of use to be functional. As you serve, your world gets larger.

Learn to learn:  You need to understand that you do not know everything. Life itself is a process of learning and it is those who are continuously learning that will be successful at leading it.  Every day and everyone you meet give you the opportunity to learn from: from one person, you can learn what to do and from another, you can learn what not to do. You have to learn from your successes, pains, failures, disappointments, and mistakes.
American businessman Henry Ford once said: “anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young. “The mistake you do not learn from, you are bound to repeat. If you do not want to end up in regrets, be a learner. To be a continuous learner requires you to be a reader, an observer, and someone who is curious and is not tired or ashamed of asking questions.

Be enthusiastic: Some people are downers because they do not see anything good about themselves, others or their environment. You need to develop a passion for living. Every day gives you an opportunity to experience something different about life. Living can be fun. It is interesting that the root word for enthusiasm means to be possessed. The question is: what or what has possessed you?  Any wonder Henry Ford, an American businessman commented that “Enthusiasm is the yeast that makes your hopes shine to the stars. Enthusiasm is the sparkle in your eyes, the swing in your gait. The grip of your hand, the irresistible surge of will and energy to execute your ideas.” To keep your enthusiasm, I suggest that you subscribe to a cause that is bigger than you, stand for something and be possessed by God who is there to help you.

Live in the moment: You are made to live moment by moment. The problem with some of us is that we are trying to live more than our fair share at a time. Hence, we end up in confusion and worry. To live in the now, you need to understand that life is a journey and not an event or destination. This is where God comes in. Actually, with the way God made you, you are supposed to live a day at a time. It is time you returned to God’s original plan for your life by living one day at a time. Bill Watterson, an American cartoonist said: “We’re so busy watching out for what’s just ahead of us that we don’t take time to enjoy where we are.” If you are not living in the moment, you will not know how to appreciate and appropriate the beauty around you. Ultimately, you will not be thankful.

Call to action:

What can you do differently today that will ensure that you are living large?