Don’t just live. Instead choose to be alive.
Such a weird thing to say right? I know. It sounded weird when the words popped up in my mind. However, when I wrote it down and said it aloud, so much clarity about this simple statement flooded over me.
This looks different for a lot of people. To me it just simply means to be present in every moment, be grateful for every experience (good or bad), take away from all the good, learn from all the bad, and above all ensure that everything you do in life is creating a bliss that just keeps getting better.
Life takes us on so many rollercoasters. Some are enjoyable, some not so much, and some we simply tag along on the ride for the experience. The twisted loops and turns, exhilarating highs and anticipated lows all come equipped with a level of uncertainty. An uncertainty that tends to overpower our minds and send our thoughts and emotions into overdrive.
I tend to overthink on simple situations by intentionally diving in deeper than what is needed. That overthinking leads to a supercharge of my emotions, which results in me passionately expressing my opinions while looking like a crazy person. Seriously, when I get fired up about something I end up looking almost absolutely ridiculous (any Harry Potter fans!?).
But it’s ok, it’s all good, because in doing so I know that I have allowed myself to truly live in that moment. I know that I have allowed myself to feel all the emotions that I personally tailor to that specific experience. I have allowed myself to unapologetically speak my mind. I have allowed myself to be completely free of the anxiety that may come with uncertainty, because I have chosen to be present in that moment.
Break free from the chains, let your feet find solid ground, and take off running in the direction that your heart guides you. Find your voice and your happiness within your deepest passions. Let your instincts show you the way to infinite bliss. I was once told to always trust your instincts because they never mislead you.
My instincts have lead me to a lot of journeys in life. When I reflect back on them, some were filled with utter joy, others with long periods of complete sadness. There is a connection that exists between our emotions and personal experiences. That’s how you know something is real and that you have lived through it to tell the tale. If you look back on a period in your life, a journey that you have taken, and you feel no emotional connection, then you have deprived yourself the pleasure of truly living in that moment.
So treat yourself, love yourself, and allow yourself to be alive in every moment that unfolds in your lifetime. It doesn’t matter what the significance or insignificance of the personal experience may be. Don’t ponder over picking and choosing the “appropriate” emotions to unleash at the appropriate times. It doesn’t matter the time or the place, or the number of supporters and non-supporters that make up your audience. All that matters is that you don’t take that moment for granted.
Choosing to be alive will take you on many journeys that will transform your life in many ways. Some you will enjoy, others not so much. But it’s the content that exists within those experiences that really breathe life into your lungs. If you fall in love and that love is followed by a devastating heartbreak, you let that heartache breathe life into your lungs. If you took a risk to chase after a dream and didn’t find the success that you hoped for, you let that sadness breathe life into your lungs.
Let your life experiences be so much more than just lessons. Let them be the drive that helps you accept your humanity. Let them be the reason you continue present yourself to the world. Let them be the air that breathes life into your lungs. Let them be the reason you choose to be alive.
Choose to experience the bad moments in life no matter what they may bring. Choose to experience the good moments in life no matter where they may take you. Choose to let your emotions connect to those experiences no matter how human it makes you. Choose to let those experiences become a part of your story.
The story of your life, of your journey, of your decision to be alive.
We don’t get far in life when we choose to simply live. We miss out on so many opportunities which leaves us with so many “what if” questions. Don’t take the chance to really live your life for granted. Don’t let it slip between your fingertips in the hopes that when you become older and wiser the opportunity will appear again. For some it may, but for most it doesn’t.
So allow yourself to fall in love, even if they’re not the one. Allow yourself to experience failure, even if it knocks you down know that you will always get back up should you choose to. Take that yoga class you’ve always wanted to take despite your level of flexibility. You want to be a dancer? Take a dance class. Want to be a chef? Go on a cooking adventure.
No matter what you want for yourself in life know that you can have it. You can have it all, whatever having it all means and looks like for you.
Just remember with every level of success was first a period of failure. With every opportunity to be happy was first a choice to be sad. With every moment we create in our lives was first an experience to make our own.
Be present, be grateful, take what you can, learn what you must, and create a life of infinite bliss by choosing to be alive.
-Xo
Kimora