NEXT-LEVEL ABUNDANT LIFE: Freeing Yourself to Fully Embrace Life, Liberty & the Pursuit of Happiness
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I – “Welcome with open arms fellow believers who don’t see things the way you do. And don’t jump all over them every time they do or say something you don’t agree with—even when it seems that they are strong on opinions but weak in the faith department. Remember, they have their own history to deal with. Treat them gently.”
(Romans 14:1 – The Message)
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II – “Cultivate your own relationship with God, but don’t impose it on others. You’re fortunate if your behavior and your belief are coherent. But if you’re not sure, if you notice that you are acting in ways inconsistent with what you believe—some days trying to impose your opinions on others, other days just trying to please them—then you know that you’re out of line. If the way you live isn’t consistent with what you believe, then it’s wrong.”
(Romans 14:22, 23 – The Message)
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III – “Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God.Then he said to him, “Follow me!” Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them. (This was the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and had said, “Lord, who is going to betray you?”) When Peter saw him, he asked, “Lord, what about him?” Jesus answered, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.”
(John 21:18-22 – NIV)
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VII – I’m going be very bossy here, and just tell you what you need to do…now that I’m a year older (thanks again for the birthday greetings), I’m leaning in, harder than ever, to the Seasoned Elder/Oracle/Wise Man vibe, so I don’t want any back talk about this…
So here it is (and these aren’t suggestions)…stop apologizing for who you are…you’re awesome, even with your flaws (you’re “flawsome”!) just the way you are…for goodness sakes, forgive yourself already for whatever you did, and let it go…you’re thinking about it WAY MORE than anyone else is, and it’s probably much bigger in your mind that it actually was…stop wasting your time over-explaining yourself…just live your authentic life, and allow the people that you affect to adjust to you unapologetically living your truth…and if they can’t, it’s not the end of the world…stop trying to micro-manage everybody else, and convert them to your way of thinking…some people in your orbit are never, ever, ever, ever going to come around to your way of thinking, so you just need to accept it like you do the changing of the seasons…and if by chance they ever do come around to your viewpoint, it won’t be because you nagged or shamed them into it…you can influence people, but it’s also true that you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink…either they get it or they don’t…if you think they’re idiotic for seeing the world the way they do, then go for the “Let him who is ignorant be ignorant still” concept, and move it along…free yourself…say what you want to say without hesitation, post what you want to post, hold fast to your beliefs, but stop letting yourself get so frustrated over and over again when other people don’t embrace those beliefs…it doesn’t matter…live and let live…
Be happy, and follow your bliss, every single day…do what brings you joy, and if it doesn’t bring your joy, cut it out of your life…who cares if other people get it or not?!…your joy matters…your sense of well-being matters…your freedom matters…and if there’s something hard or unpleasant that you have to do that’s not avoidable, then do what you have to do to make the thing as tolerable and workable as it can be, and get through it without compromising who you are…
Remember that loving people and being a people pleaser are not at all the same thing…loving people is empowering…living only to please other people is sad and pathetic…you can love people and still tell them no if you need to (depends on your relationship with them)…boundaries are perfectly compatible with unconditional love, so don’t get it twisted, or allow someone to manipulate you…
Go the extra mile, and but don’t forget to advocate for yourself when you’ve done enough, and there’s nothing left to give…take care of yourself FIRST…period (in the words of Forrest Gump, “And that’s all I have to say about that”)…
Stop wasting your time waiting for the apology that’s never coming…you’ve given that person enough of your power…learn from it, and keep moving…
And once again, if it makes you happy, and you’re not intentionally hurting anyone by doing it, THEN DO IT…whatever you do with your time and with your money is YOUR BUSINESS alone…when other people have judgments or opinions about the way you live, or with what you wear, or with what you spend, or about what you believe, etc, DO NOT HESITATE TO REMIND THEM THAT YOU ARE NOT ACCOUNTABLE TO THEM (“Owe no man anything but to love him”)…
Protect the life that you’ve curated, and celebrate it…don’t compare it with anyone else’s…
Remember you are an ORIGINAL, so be willing to pay the price for nonconformity…it’s TOTALLY worth it!
I could say a lot more, but you just need to work on these things for right now…I’ll be back when you need some more…