Are you like me and making choices about your life by following the "American Dream". There is nothing particularly wrong with the American Dream. However, it may lead you astray to following a blueprint that isn't really yours. Freedom to pursue Happiness is the best way to reframe the American Dream. Misery is easy, but creating a life of of inner peace and joy means being INTENTIONAL.
How do you find your blueprint? Begin to notice what stirs your heart... what words, pictures and stories? Who do you look up to and what do you admire about them? What are your dreams and desires? Try to filter out what your culture says is the way to go. It may be a good design and parts of it may fit...but it's not necessarily your design.
Discovering your heart's desires are key in living a fulfilling life. Why else would God talk about giving us the desire's of our heart. "Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart." Psalm 37:4.
Many Christians have given up on their heart's desires thinking they are somehow wrong or selfish. Desires are tricky because they take time and work and they don't always come to fruition in the time or way we would like. The key in this verse is discovering that one of our heart's desires is to "Delight in the Lord", we were designed for an intimate relationship with God. All our other desires that get temporarily thwarted lead us to this deeper desire that is covered up by our sinful nature.
One of my favorite movies is "GroundHog Day" with Bill Murray. In this movie, a cynical weatherman gets stuck in the same day over and over again on his most dreaded assignment, "GroundHog Day" in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. He has to be around all these people he finds beneath him in a small town where he prefers the big city. The only highlight is his producer, Rita, played by Andie MacDowell who is a real beauty but without guile.
When he discovers he is replaying the same day over and over again, his transformation begins! First, he goes straight into pleasure seeking, women, drinking, even stealing from an armoured truck. He falls into despair when he realizes he is stuck. He tries inventive ways to kill himself. But wakes up in the same day the next day. He tries seducing his producer, Rita, by recreating her perfect day, which he takes weeks/months? to perfect, when he finally gets to the kiss again he rushes it and she refuses him. He thinks perhaps if he steals the groundhog and drives off a cliff, just maybe that will end this day, but to no avail.
Eventually he realizes this day is his life and he chooses to make it significant. He learns to play the piano, he becomes a Doctor, he gets to know and care for all the townspeople. When he becomes a person that the town admires, he tells his producer the truth and she stays up all night with him to help him overcome the timeloop he is in. He has learned living an interior life of love and purpose and this is when his next day begins....
I love this story because if you think about it, all of us live the same day over and over again. How do we create meaning in our status quo? Meaning and purpose are so key to an adventurous life! Don't just settle for eat, work, sleep, escapism and do it all over again. There's more out there for you. Adventure, romance, beauty, fun....but with it comes heartache and suffering. Every good story has both. Finding the life your were meant to live means changing thought patterns that keep us stuck. Learn to value your life and others. Change your interior life and you will change your outer life. Discover the inner beliefs that keep you down and find a better life philosophy. Start Today!
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