“Live each day as if it’s your last because one day it will be.”
– Unknown
The above quote inspired me to ask: Are you living a fulfilled life? So many people use the excuse “I will do (fill in the blank) when I retire, when I get the perfect job, when I find the perfect partner, own the perfect home, have enough money saved up…and the list goes on.
No matter how many years you have been on this planet, doesn’t it seem like just yesterday that you were a child or in high school or college?
During my younger school years I was worried about my grades, not because I wanted to excel but because my parents expected me to. If I received less than a B on my report card, my parents would let me know how unacceptable that was, which I wanted to avoid. Back in the ‘50s, unlike today, parents believed in spanking. I would much rather get a spanking than my parents saying they were extremely disappointed in me. That would break my heart.
Even as a child, I wasn’t living my life for myself; I was living it to please others. I have to confess that was a trend in my life even after childhood. First, I lived my life for my parents, then my spouse, and then my children
Something happened to me in my forties, and I’ve seen it experienced by many others during my years of being a minister. For me, at 40 I looked at my life and thought, “Do I want to be still doing what I’m doing for another 20 years? Do I want to continue my life as it is and realize I wasted another 20 or more years?”
Have you noticed that so many people get divorced in their 40s?
I believe it’s a sense of emptiness. They get divorced believing they will then be happy, but for many they still feel empty.
What is really happening is that there tends to be an awareness of this emptiness within the soul of many of us that awakens us to the realization that there has to be more to life. Something is missing. You can’t fill that emptiness from the outside in. It’s an inside job. I am so grateful that I knew the problem was within me.
I began my spiritual journey, looking for what would fulfill me, and on my search I found the teachings of Ernest Holmes and so many great spiritual teachers. For many there is a knowing within that there is more to life than what they are experiencing but are afraid to look within for what is needed and then grab that brass ring and begin to live a fulfilled life.
If you are experiencing a sense of emptiness, I suggest you take an inventory of your life TODAY and ask yourself the following questions:
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Do I feel fulfilled? (If the answer is “Yes,” Hooray! Congratulations! But if the answer is “No,” then go to the next questions.)
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What is missing in my life?
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What would I love to be doing that I am not?
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What is holding me back from my dreams?
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If I knew I only had six months to live, what would I change, if anything? What would I do differently with my life?
Look at your above answers and start taking action today to change and/or enhance your experience of life.
Believe in the power within you that supports your dreams. All dreams are possible. You couldn’t have a dream if it wasn’t possible. It’s just waiting for you to take action in the direction of what you desire your life to be.
There are no guarantees that there will be a tomorrow, so it is important to live your life to the fullest.
Stop putting off what you want to experience until you retire or all your bills are paid or you have a certain amount of money saved or whatever is stopping you from experiencing life to the fullest.
As we say in our mission statement, “Remember Who You are.” You are the creator of your life. All the power of the Universe is supporting you. So as Nike says – Just Do It!
Rev. Dr. Laura Shackelford
Rev. Dr. Laura Shackelford is an ordained Religious Science Minister. She has been at the Palm Desert Spiritual Center as a minister over 20 years and has served as the Assistant Minister for 10 years. For 18 years she served as the recording secretary for Religious Science International and then for Centers for Spiritual Living. She can be reached at laurashackelford8@gmail.com