Recently,
I read The Alchemist by
Brazilian author Paulo
Coelho. If you haven't
read it yet, the main
character, Santiago, has
a dream that he must go
to the pyramids of
Egypt. Here, he's told,
he will find a treasure
waiting just for him.
Inspired, he followed
his calling. What he
found was, most on his
path were either too
afraid or became
sidetracked when it came
to following their own
journey to what he later
named the quest for a
"Personal Legend."
All this got me
thinking. First, what
does it mean to have and
find a personal legend?
And how do we go about
the business of
following the call to
our own treasure? To me
it involves the simple
(or not so simple) task
of making every day
matter. In this article
then, I will aim to
document what I think
are several ways we can
each align ourselves
with our treasure. In
the light of the new
year, we can all do well
by taking time to think
about the possibilities
our legend holds for us
and, with this mindset,
aim to make each day a
meaningful one.
One: Aim To Do Something
Each Day To Make It
Special.
We all have
circumstances in our
life that are beyond our
control. I'm thinking
specifically of health
concerns, job stress
factors and balancing
our relationships with
others. Yet, there are
always pockets of time
that each of us can use
to make each day
special. To me, it
involves a ritualistic
expression of
creativity.
Here's how I suggest
managing this time.
First, think of
something that you can
do each day to make it
special. I can be
something different each
day, however, for our
purposes here, I propose
planning to create a
daily ritual. Here's
mine: Each day of this
new year, I plan to sit
down for one-half hour
with tea and my dreams.
I will use this time to
write in my journal. My
hope is to pen three
pages each day, as Julia
Cameron prescribes in
her book The Artists
Way. Why have I chosen
this activity? It's what
brings me my greatest
joy. How to find your
joy? Read on to
objective number two.
Two: Find What Brings
You Joy.
I often think of
happiness in terms of
energy currency and am
constantly taking my
energetic temperature. I
believe, when we do
things that bring us
joy, we allow this
positive energy to
expand. I've written
before, in effort to
receive what we wish, we
have to give away that
something first. For
example, If I long for
joy, I can create joy in
my life by giving "joy"
away. How? By sharing
what I have. And it's
easy to do this time of
year. For example, I can
share by giving to the
Salvation Army at the
mall's entrance or
sending care packages to
the homeless. All this
creates a forum for joy
to expand.
Three: Express Your
Creativity.
Once you've allowed your
joy to expand and know
what joy "feels" like,
use this same ritual to
expand your creativity.
If you like to write or
have another creative
passion, try taking more
time for that gift. I
think you will find that
it will help your
inspiration grow and
with it, bring along
more happiness and peace
to your soul. Further,
and along the same lines
of making every day
special, look for ways
you can share your
creativity. If you are
not sure where your
creative talents lie,
experiment. Take free
internet classes or low
cost courses at your
local craft store (check
out
www.fabjob.com for
ideas). In my
experience, this
activity alone will help
you become closer to
your own personal
legend.
Four: Learn To Follow
Your Heart.
Here's the true
challenge. Before we can
evolve, we must learn to
let go of our
expectations. What does
letting go of
expectations have to do
with discovering your
personal legend? Its
simple. If we let go of
our controlling ways
(and I am speaking to
myself, here) we can
open ourselves to the
blessings of life and
allow it to show us the
way. We are all gifted
with a unique personal
legend. Yet we must
learn how to do the
dance of marrying
intention with
inspiration to find our
balance within. Life
will always guide us if
we let her.
Moreover, it is up to us
to be aware of our
circumstances and open
our hearts for the
answers. For as Santiago
learned from the
alchemist "to realize
one's destiny is a
person's only
obligation."
****
Laura M. Turner, M.S.,
CHHP is the Sr. Editor
of The New Body News and
Wellness Letter, the
online magazine healthy
people read! To
subscribe for free and
receive the free report
"Take Charge Of Your
Health" as well as a
complimentary weight
loss eBook, visit
www.new-body-news.com.
While you're there be
sure to check out
Laura's latest book
Spiritual Fitness!
