“Remembering you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.” –Steve Jobs, Stanford Commencement Address 2005
This is one of my favorite quotes. It speaks to our fearful thinking. What are you waiting for? When will you do _______? We fear losing what? Losing face, maybe? Losing money? Maybe we are afraid to fail? Steve Jobs I’m sure would have said something like “failure is how we innovate.” Maybe we are afraid to succeed….
This particular fear I see in some of my clients, and it is powerful for them! If I succeed, then I think I will feel bad for other people not succeeding; or that others will think I’m better than them; or I will feel guilty for not doing ‘the thing’ sooner (aka: leaving the bad job and getting a better one, or leaving the failed marriage and meeting “The One”). I like to think that when one door closes, another one opens. Herein lies trust. A trust that the change will bring about something better for us, right?
The second line of the quote says “You are already naked.” Hmmm…. Is it possible others in our lives aren’t buying our BS? The lies we are telling them when we say “every thing is fine.” Or “I’m happy with the substandard way I’m living my life.” Or “I love that I’m giving only 50 percent of my passion, instead of 100 percent because it feels safer.” Is it possible you are the only one with blinders on to the truth?
And then there’s the final line: “There is no reason not to follow your heart.” Is this true? Is this true for you? Is this true for me? What does it mean to follow your heart? Is there something inside of you that is dying to get out, to be expressed? Is there a thread you want to follow? I encourage you to talk to a good friend, a life coach ;-), your pastor, etc., and examine what it is you want for your life. We have this one precious life–are you living it as if you are dying? Because you are. We all are. Living with shackles off, full out, with full passion and intention.
To live in this space is what it feels like to be free. Sometimes people have described it to me as “I feel like I’m coming home.” It is peaceful and exhilarating at the same time. It is what it means to live authentically as you were meant to–with no more smoke and mirrors.
Try it. You’ll never regret it.
